THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


From  the  library  cf 
Henry  Goldman,  Ph.D. 
1686-1972 


«r 


. 


THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF  MRS. 
LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE 


THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF  MRS. 
LECKS  AND   MRS.  ALESHINE 


BY 
FRANK.  R.  STOCKTON 

AUTHOR  OF  "RUDDER  GRANGE,"  "THE  LADY, 
OR  THE  TIGER?"  "THE  LATE  MRS.  NULL," 
"THE  MERRY  CHANTER,"  "THE  HUNDREDTH 
MAN,"  "THE  SQUIRREL  INN,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW   YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 
1892 


COPYRIGHT,  1886,  1892, 

BY  FRANK  It.  STOCKTON. 


All  rights  reserved. 


THE   DE  VINNE   PRESS 


Stack 

Annex 


can 


THE    CASTING   AWAY    OF 
MRS.   LECKS    AND    MRS.   ALESHINE 


PART  I 


WAS  on  my  way  from  San  Fran 
cisco  to  Yokohama,  when  in  a  very 
desultory  and  gradual  manner  I  be 
came  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Leeks 
and  Mrs.  Aleshine.  The  steamer, 
on  which  I  was  making  a  moderately 
rapid  passage  toward  the  land  of  the  legended  fan 
and  the  lacquered  box,  carried  a  fair  complement  of 
passengers,  most  of  whom  were  Americans;  and, 
among  these,  my  attention  was  attracted  from  the 
very  first  day  of  the  voyage  to  two  middle-aged  women 
who  appeared  to  me  very  unlike  the  ordinary  traveler 
or  tourist.  At  first  sight  they  might  have  been  taken 
for  farmers'  wives  who,  for  some  unusual  reason,  had 
determined  to  make  a  voyage  across  the  Pacific;  but, 
on  closer  observation,  one  would  have  been  more  apt 
to  suppose  that  they  belonged  to  the  families  of  pros- 


2  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

perous  tradesmen  in  some  little  country  town,  where, 
besides  the  arts  of  rural  housewifery,  there  would  be 
opportunities  of  becoming  acquainted  in  some  degree 
with  the  ways  and  manners  of  the  outside  world. 
They  were  not  of  that  order  of  persons  who  generally 
take  first-class  passages  on  steamships,  but  the  state 
room  occupied  by  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  was 
one  of  the  best  in  the  vessel;  and,  although  they  kept 
very  much  to  themselves  and  showed  no  desire  for 
the  company  or  notice  of  the  other  passengers,  they 
evidently  considered  themselves  quite  as  good  as  any 
one  else,  and  with  as  much  right  to  voyage  to  any  part 
of  the  world  in  any  manner  or  style  which  pleased 
them. 

Mrs.  Leeks  was  a  rather  tall  woman,  large-boned 
and  muscular,  and  her  well-browned  countenance 
gave  indications  of  that  conviction  of  superiority 
which  gradually  grows  up  in  the  minds  of  those  who, 
for  a  long  time,  have  had  absolute  control  of  the  des 
tinies  of  a  state,  or  the  multifarious  affairs  of  a  coun 
try  household.  Mrs.  Aleshine  was  somewhat  younger 
than  her  friend,  somewhat  shorter,  and  a  great  deal 
fatter.  She  had  the  same  air  of  reliance  upon  her 
individual  worth  that  characterized  Mrs.  Leeks,  but 
there  was  a  certain  geniality  about  her  which  indicated 
that  she  would  have  a  good  deal  of  forbearance  for 
those  who  never  had  had  the  opportunity  or  the 
ability  of  becoming  the  thoroughly  good  housewife 
which  she  was  herself. 

These  two  worthy  dames  spent  the  greater  part 
of  their  time  on  deck,  where  they  always  sat  together 
in  a  place  at  the  stern  of  the  vessel  which  was  well 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MBS.  ALESHINE.  3 

sheltered  from  wind  and  weather.  As  they  sat  thus 
they  were  generally  employed  in  knitting,  although 
this  occupation  did  not  prevent  them  from  keeping 
up  what  seemed  to  me,  as  I  passed  them  in  my  walks 
about  the  deck,  a  continuous  conversation.  From  a 
question  which  Mrs.  Leeks  once  asked  me  about  a 
distant  sail,  our  acquaintance  began.  There  was  no 
one  on  board  for  whose  society  I  particularly  cared, 
and  as  there  was  something  quaint  and  odd  about 
these  countrywomen  on  the  ocean  which  interested 
me,  I  was  glad  to  vary  my  solitary  promenades  by  an 
occasional  chat  with  them.  They  were  not  at  all 
backward  in  giving  me  information  about  themselves. 
They  were  both  widows,  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  was  going 
out  to  Japan  to  visit  a  son  who  had  a  position  there 
in  a  mercantile  house.  Mrs.  Leeks  had  no  children, 
and  was  accompanying  her  friend  because,  as  she  said, 
she  would  not  allow  Mrs.  Aleshine  to  make  such  a 
voyage  as  that  by  herself;  and  because,  being  quite 
able  to  do  so,  she  did  not  know  why  she  should  not 
see  the  world  as  well  as  other  people. 

These  two  friends  were  not  educated  women.  They 
made  frequent  mistakes  in  their  grammar,  and  a 
good  deal  of  Middle  States  provincialism  showed 
itself  in  their  pronunciation  and  expressions.  But, 
although  they  brought  many  of  their  rural  ideas  to 
sea  with  them,  they  possessed  a  large  share  of  that 
common  sense  which  is  available  anywhere,  and  they 
frequently  made  use  of  it  in  a  manner  which  was 
very  amusing  to  me.  I  think,  also,  that  they  found 
in  me  a  quarry  of  information  concerning  nautical 
matters,  foreign  countries,  and  my  own  affairs,  the 


4  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

working  of  which  helped  to  make  us  very  good  ship 
friends. 

Our  steamer  touched  at  the  Sandwich  Islands ;  and 
it  was  a  little  more  than  two  days  after  we  left  Hon 
olulu  that,  about  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  had 
the  misfortune  to  come  into  collision  with  an  eastern- 
bound  vessel.  The  fault  was  entirely  due  to  the 
other  ship,  the  lookout  on  which,  although  the  night 
was  rather  dark  and  foggy,  could  easily  have  seen 
our  lights  in  time  to  avoid  collision,  if  he  had  not 
been  asleep  or  absent  from  his  post.  Be  this  as  it 
may,  this  vessel,  which  appeared  to  be  a  small  steamer, 
struck  us  with  great  force  near  our  bows,  and  then 
backing  disappeared  into  the  fog,  and  we  never  saw 
or  heard  of  her  again.  The  general  opinion  was  that 
she  was  injured  very  much  more  than  we  were,  and 
that  she  probably  sank  not  very  long  after  the  acci 
dent;  for  when  the  fog  cleared  away,  about  an  hour 
afterward,  nothing  could  be  seen  of  her  lights. 

As  it  usually  happens  on  occasions  of  accidents  at 
sea,  the  damage  to  our  vessel  was  at  first  reported  to 
be  slight;  but  it  was  soon  discovered  that  our  injuries 
were  serious,  and  indeed  disastrous.  The  hull  of  our 
steamer  had  been  badly  shattered  on  the  port  bow, 
and  the  water  came  in  at  a  most  alarming  rate.  For 
nearly  two  hours  the  crew  and  many  of  the  passen 
gers  worked  at  the  pumps,  and  everything  possible 
was  done  to  stop  the  enormous  leak;  but  all  labor  to 
save  the  vessel  was  found  to  be  utterly  unavailing; 
and  a  little  before  midnight  the  captain  announced 
that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  the  steamer  afloat,  and 
that  we  must  all  take  to  the  boats.  The  night  was 


MKS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  5 

now  clear,  the  stars  were  bright,  and,  as  there  was 
but  little  wind,  the  sea  was  comparatively  smooth. 
With  all  these  advantages,  the  captain  assured  us 
that  there  was  no  reason  to  apprehend  danger,  and 
he  thought  that  by  noon  of  the  following  day  we 
could  easily  make  a  small  inhabited  island,  where  we 
could  be  sheltered  and  cared  for  until  we  should  be 
taken  off  by  some  passing  vessel. 

There  was  plenty  of  time  for  all  necessary  prep 
arations,  and  these  were  made  with  much  order  and 
subordination.  Some  of  the  ladies  among  the  cabin 
passengers  were  greatly  frightened,  and  inclined  to 
be  hysterical.  There  were  pale  faces  also  among  the 
gentlemen.  But  everybody  obeyed  the  captain's  orders, 
and  all  prepared  themselves  for  the  transfer  to  the 
boats.  The  first  officer  came  among  us,  and  told  each 
of  us  what  boats  we  were  to  take,  and  where  we  were 
to  place  ourselves  on  deck.  I  was  assigned  to  a  large 
boat  which  was  to  be  principally  occupied  by  steerage 
passengers;  and  as  I  came  up  from  my  stateroom, 
where  I  had  gone  to  secure  my  money  and  some 
portable  valuables,  I  met  on  the  companionway  Mrs. 
Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  expressed  considerable 
dissatisfaction  when  they  found  that  I  was  not  going 
in  the  boat  with  them.  They  however  hurried  below, 
and  I  went  on  deck,  where  in  about  ten  minutes  I  was 
joined  by  Mrs.  Leeks,  who  apparently  had  been  look 
ing  for  me.  She  told  me  she  had  something  very 
particular  to  say  to  me,  and  conducted  me  toward  the 
stern  of  the  vessel,  where,  behind  one  of  the  deck 
houses,  we  found  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"Look  here,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  leading  me  to  the 


6  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

rail  and  pointing  downward,  "do  you  see  that  boat 
there  ?  It  has  been  let  down,  and  there  is  nobody  in 
it.  The  boat  on  the  other  side  has  just  gone  off,  full 
to  the  brim.  I  never  saw  so  many  people  crowded 
into  a  boat.  The  other  ones  will  be  just  as  packed,  I 
expect.  I  don't  see  why  we  should  n't  take  this  empty 
boat,  now  we  've  got  a  chance,  instead  of  squeezin' 
ourselves  into  those  crowded  ones.  If  any  of  the  other 
people  come  afterward,  why,  we  shall  have  our  choice 
of  seats,  and  that 's  considerable  of  a  p'int,  I  should 
say,  iii  a  time  like  this." 

" That's  so,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "and  me  and  Mrs. 
Leeks  would  'a'  got  right  in  when  we  saw  the  boat 
was  empty,  if  we  had  n't  been  afraid  to  be  there  with 
out  any  man,  for  it  might  have  floated  off,  and  neither 
of  us  don't  know  nothin'  about  rowin'.  And  then 
Mrs.  Leeks  she  thought  of  you,  supposin'  a  young 
man  who  knew  so  much  about  the  sea  would  know 
how  to  row." 

"Oh,  yes,"  said  I,  "but  I  cannot  imagine  why  this 
boat  should  have  been  left  empty.  I  see  a  keg  of 
water  in  it,  and  the  oars,  and  some  tin  cans,  and  so  I 
suppose  it  has  been  made  ready  for  somebody.  "Will 
you  wait  here  a  minute  until  I  run  forward  and  see 
how  things  are  going  on  there!" 

Amidships  and  forward  I  saw  that  there  was  some 
confusion  among  the  people  who  were  not  yet  in  their 
boats,  and  I  found  that  there  was  to  be  rather  more 
crowding  than  at  first  was  expected.  People  who  had 
supposed  that  they  were  to  go  in  a  certain  boat  found 
there  no  place,  and  were  hurrying  to  other  boats.  It 
now  became  plain  to  me  that  no  time  should  be  lost 
in  getting  into  the  small  boat  which  Mrs.  Leeks  had 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  7 

pointed  out,  and  which  was  probably  reserved  for 
some  favored  persons,  as  the  officers  were  keeping  the 
people  forward  and  amidships,  the  other  stern-boat 
having  already  departed.  But  as  I  acknowledged  no 
reason  why  any  one  should  be  regarded  with  more 
favor  than  myself  and  the  two  women  who  were  wait 
ing  for  me,  I  slipped  quietly  aft,  and  joined  Mrs. 
Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"We  must  get  in  as  soon  as  we  can,"  said  I  in  a 
low  voice,  "for  this  boat  may  be  discovered,  and  then 
there  will  be  a  rush  for  it.  I  suspect  it  may  have  been 
reserved  for  the  captain  and  some  of  the  officers,  but 
we  have  as  much  right  in  it  as  they." 

"And  more  too,"  replied  Mrs.  Leeks ;  "  for  we  had 
nothin'  to  do  with  the  steerin'  and  smashin'." 

"  But  how  are  we  goin'  to  get  down  there  ? "  said 
Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  There  's  no  steps." 

"That  is  true,"  said  I.  "I  should  n't  wonder  if 
this  boat  is  to  be  taken  forward  when  the  others  are 
filled.  We  must  scramble  down  as  well  as  we  can  by 
the  tackle  at  the  bow  and  stern.  I  '11  get  in  first  and 
keep  her  close  to  the  ship's  side." 

"  That 's  goin'  to  be  a  scratchy  business,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  and  I  'm  of  the  opinion  we  ought  to  wait  till 
the  ship  has  sunk  a  little  more,  so  we  '11  be  nearer  to 
the  boat." 

"  It  won't  do  to  wait,"  said  I,  "or  we  shall  not  get 
in  at  all." 

"  And  goodness  gracious ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "I  can't  stand  here  and  feel  the  ship  sinkin' 
cold-blooded  under  me,  till  we  've  got  where  we  can 
make  an  easy  jump  ! " 

"  Very  well,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  we  won't  wait. 


8  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

But  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  for  each  one  of  us  to 
put  on  one  of  these  life-preservers.  Two  of  them  I 
brought  from  Mrs.  Aleshine's  and  my  cabin,  and  the 
other  one  I  got  next  door,  where  the  people  had  gone 
off  and  left  it  on  the  floor.  I  thought  if  anythin' 
happened  on  the  way  to  the  island,  these  would  give 
us  a  chance  to  look  about  us;  but  it  seems  to  me 
we'll  need  'em  more  gettin'  down  them  ropes  than 
anywhere  else.  I  did  intend  puttin'  on  two  myself  to 
make  up  for  Mrs.  Aleshine's  fat ;  but  you  must  wear 
one  of  'm,  sir,  now  that  you  are  goin'  to  join  the 
party." 

As  I  knew  that  two  life-preservers  would  not  be 
needed  by  Mrs.  Leeks,  and  would  greatly  inconveni 
ence  her,  I  accepted  the  one  offered  me,  but  declined 
to  put  it  on  until  it  should  be  necessary,  as  it  would 
interfere  with  my  movements. 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  if  you  think  you 
are  safe  in  gettin'  down  without  it.  But  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  and  me  will  put  ours  on  before  we  begin  sailor- 
scramblin'.  We  know  how  to  do  it,  for  we  tried  'em 
on  soon  after  we  started  from  San  Francisco.  And 
now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,  are  you  sure  you  Ve  got  every- 
thin'  you  want,  for  it  '11  be  no  use  thinkin'  about  any- 
thin'  you  Ve  forgot  after  the  ship  has  sunk  out  of 
sight." 

"  There  's  nothin'  else  I  can  think  of,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine ;  "  at  least  nothin'  I  can  carry;  and  so  I  sup 
pose  we  may  as  well  begin,  for  your  talk  of  the  ship 
sinkin'  under  our  feet  gives  me  a  sort  o'  feelin'  like  an 
oyster  creepin'  up  and  down  my  back." 

Mrs.  Leeks  looked  over  the  side  at  the  boat,  into 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  9 

which  I  had  already  descended.  "  I  '11  go  first,  Bar- 
b'ry  Aleshine,"  said  she,  "  and  show  you  how." 

The  sea  was  quiet,  and  the  steamer  had  already  sunk 
so  much  that  Mrs.  Lecks's  voice  sounded  frightfully 
near  me,  although  she  spoke  in  a  low  tone. 

"  Watch  me,"  said  she  to  her  companion.  "  I  'm 
goin7  to  do  just  as  he  did,  and  you  must  follow  in 
the  same  way." 

So  saying,  she  stepped  on  a  bench  by  the  rail;  then, 
with  one  foot  on  the  rail  itself,  she  seized  the  ropes 
which  hung  from  one  of  the  davits  to  the  bow  of  the 
boat.  She  looked  down  for  a  moment,  and  then  she 
drew  back. 

"  It 's  no  use,"  she  said.  "  We  must  wait  until  she 
sinks  more,  an'  I  can  get  in  easier." 

This  remark  made  me  feel  nervous.  I  did  not  know 
at  what  moment  there  might  be  a  rush  for  this  boat, 
nor  when,  indeed,  the  steamer  might  go  down.  The 
boat  amidships  on  our  side  had  rowed  away  some 
minutes  before,  and  through  the  darkness  I  could  dis 
tinguish  another  boat,  near  the  bows,  pushing  off.  It 
would  be  too  late  now  for  us  to  try  to  get  into  any 
other  boat,  and  I  did  not  feel  that  there  was  time 
enough  for  me  to  take  this  one  to  a  place  where  the 
two  women  could  more  easily  descend  to  her.  Stand 
ing  upright,  I  urged  them  not  to  delay. 

"  You  see,"  said  I,  "  I  can  reach  you  as  soon  as  you 
swing  yourself  off  the  ropes,  and  I  '11  help  you  down." 

"  If  you  're  sure  you  can  keep  us  from  comin'  down 
too  sudden,  we  '11  try  it,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  but  I  M  as 
soon  be  drowned  as  to  get  to  an  island  with  a  broken 
leg.  And  as  to  Mrs.  Aleshine,  if  she  was  to  slip  she  'd 


10  THE   CASTING  AWAY  OF 

go  slam  through  that  boat  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
Now  then,  be  ready  !  I  'm  comin'  down  !  " 

So  saying,  she  swung  herself  off,  and  she  was  then 
so  near  me  that  I  was  able  to  seize  her  and  make  the 
rest  of  her  descent  comparatively  easy.  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  proved  to  be  a  more  difficult  subject.  Even 
after  I  had  a  firm  grasp  of  her  capacious  waist  she 
refused  to  let  go  the  ropes,  for  fear  that  she  might 
drop  into  the  ocean  instead  of  the  boat.  But  the  re 
proaches  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  the  downward  weight  of 
myself  made  her  loosen  her  nervous  grip;  and,  al 
though  we  came  very  near  going  overboard  together, 
I  safely  placed  her  on  one  of  the  thwarts. 

I  now  unhooked  the  tackle  from  the  stern  ;  but  be 
fore  casting  off  at  the  bow,  I  hesitated,  for  I  did  not 
wish  to  desert  any  of  those  who  might  be  expecting 
to  embark  in  this  boat.  But  I  could  hear  no  approach 
ing  footsteps,  and  from  my  position,  close  to  the  side 
of  the  steamer,  I  could  see  nothing.  Therefore  I  cast 
off,  and,  taking  the  oars,  I  pushed  away  and  rowed  to 
a  little  distance,  where  I  could  get  whatever  view  was 
possible  of  the  deck  of  the  steamer.  Seeing  no  forms 
moving  about,  I  called  out,  and,  receiving  no  answer, 
I  shouted  again  at  the  top  of  my  voice.  I  waited  for 
nearly  a  minute,  and,  hearing  nothing  and  seeing 
nothing,  I  became  convinced  that  no  one  was  left  on 
the  vessel. 

"  They  are  all  gone,"  said  I,  "  and  we  will  pull  after 
them  as  fast  as  we  can." 

And  I  began  to  row  toward  the  bow  of  the  steamer, 
in  the  direction  which  the  other  boats  had  taken. 

"  It 's  a  good  thing  you  can  row,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  11 

settling  herself  comfortably  in  the  stern-sheets,  "for 
what  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  me  would  ha7  done  with  them 
oars,  I  am  sure  I  don't  know." 

"  I  'd  never  have  got  into  this  boat,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "  if  Mr.  Craig  had  n't  been  here." 

"  No,  indeed,"  replied  her  friend.     "  You  'd  ha'  gone 
to  the  bottom,  h  an  gin'  for  dear  life  to  them  ropes." 

When  I  had  rounded  the  bow  of  the  steamer,  which 
appeared  to  me  to  be  rapidly  settling  in  the  water,  I 
perceived  at  no  great  distance  several  lights  which  of 
course  belonged  to  the  other  boats,  and  I  rowed  as 
hard  as  I  could,  hoping  to  catch  up  with  them,  or  at 
least  to  keep  sufficiently  near.  It  might  be  my  duty 
to  take  off  some  of  the  people  who  had  crowded  into 
the  other  boats,  probably  supposing  that  this  one  had 
been  loaded  and  gone.  How  such  a  mistake  could 
have  taken  place  I  could  not  divine,  and  it  was  not 
my  business  to  do  so.  Quite  certain  that  no  one  was 
left  on  the  sinking  steamer,  all  I  had  to  do  was  to  row 
after  the  other  boats,  and  to  overtake  them  as  soon 
as  possible.  I  thought  it  would  not  take  me  very 
long  to  do  this,  but,  after  rowing  for  half  an  hour, 
Mrs.  Aleshine  remarked  that  the  lights  seemed  as  far 
off,  if  not  farther,  than  when  we  first  started  after 
them.  Turning,  I  saw  that  this  was  the  case,  and 
was  greatly  surprised.  With  only  two  passengers  I 
ought  soon  to  have  come  up  with  those  heavily  laden 
boats,  but,  after  I  had  thought  over  it  a  little,  I  con 
sidered  that  as  each  of  them  was  probably  pulled  by 
half  a  dozen  stout  sailors,  it  was  not  so  very  strange 
that  they  should  make  as  good  or  better  headway  than 
I  did. 
2 


12  THE  CASTING   AWAY  OF 

It  was  not  very  long  after  this  that  Mrs.  Leeks  said 
that  she  thought  that  the  lights  on  the  other  boats 
must  be  going  out,  and  that  this,  most  probably,  was 
due  to  the  fact  that  the  sailors  had  forgotten  to  fill 
their  lanterns  before  they  started.  "That  sort  of 
thing  often  happens,"  she  said,  "  when  people  leave  a 
place  in  a  hurry." 

But  when  I  turned  around,  and  peered  over  the 
dark  waters,  it  was  quite  plain  to  me  that  it  was  not 
want  of  oil,  but  increased  distance,  which  made  those 
lights  so  dim.  I  could  now  perceive  but  three  of 
them,  and  as  the  surface  was  agitated  only  by  a 
gentle  swell,  I  could  not  suppose  that  any  of  them 
were  hidden  from  our  view  by  waves.  We  were  being 
left  behind,  that  was  certain,  and  all  I  could  do  was 
to  row  on  as  long  and  as  well  as  I  could  in  the  direc 
tion  which  the  other  boats  had  taken.  I  had  been 
used  to  rowing,  and  thought  I  pulled  a  good  oar,  and 
I  certainly  did  not  expect  to  be  left  behind  in  this 
way. 

"  I  don't  believe  this  boat  has  been  emptied  out 
since  the  last  rain,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  for  my  feet 
are  wet,  though  I  did  n't  notice  it  before." 

At  this  I  shipped  my  oars,  and  began  to  examine 
the  boat.  The  bottom  was  covered  with  a  movable 
floor  of  slats,  and  as  I  put  my  hand  down  I  could 
feel  the  water  welling  up  between  the  slats.  The 
flooring  was  in  sections,  and  lifting  the  one  beneath 
me,  I  felt  under  it,  and  put  my  hand  into  six  or  eight 
inches  of  water. 

The  exact  state  of  the  case  was  now  as  plain  to  me 
as  if  it  had  been  posted  up  on  a  bulletin-board.  This 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MKS.  ALESHINE.  13 

boat  had  been  found  to  be  unseaworthy,  and  its 
use  had  been  forbidden,  all  the  people  having  been 
crowded  into  the  others.  This  had  caused  confusion 
at  the  last  moment,  and,  of  course,  we  were  supposed 
to  be  on  some  one  of  the  other  boats. 

And  now,  here  was  I,  in  the  middle  of  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  in  a  leaky  boat  with  two  middle-aged  women  ! 

"  Anythin'  the  matter  with  the  floor ! "  asked  Mrs. 
Leeks. 

I  let  the  section  fall  back  into  its  place  and  looked 
aft.  By  the  starlight  I  could  see  that  my  two  com 
panions  had  each  fixed  upon  me  a  steadfast  gaze. 
They  evidently  felt  that  something  was  the  matter, 
and  wanted  to  know  what  it  was.  I  did  not  hesitate 
for  a  moment  to  inform  them.  They  appeared  to  me 
to  be  women  whom  it  would  be  neither  advisable  nor 
possible  to  deceive  in  a  case  like  this. 

"  This  boat  has  a  leak  in  it,"  I  said.  "  There  is  a 
lot  of  water  in  her  already,  and  that  is  the  reason  we 
have  got  along  so  slowly." 

"  And  that  is  why,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "it  was  left 
empty.  We  ought  to  have  known  better  than  to 
expect  to  have  a  whole  boat  just  for  three  of  us.  It 
would  have  been  much  more  sensible,  I  think,  if  we 
had  tried  to  squeeze  into  one  of  the  others." 

"  Now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  don't 
you  begin  findin'  fault  with  good  fortune,  when  it 
conies  to  you.  Here  we  Ve  got  a  comfortable  boat, 
with  room  enough  to  set  easy  and  stretch  out  if  we 
want  to.  If  the  water  is  comin'  in,  what  we  've  got 
to  do  is  to  get  it  out  again  just  as  fast  as  we  can. 
What 's  the  best  way  to  do  that,  Mr.  Craig  ? " 


14  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

"  We  must  bail  her  out,  and  lose  no  time  about  it," 
said  I.  "  If  I  can  find  the  leak  I  may  be  able  to 
stop  it." 

I  now  looked  about  for  something  to  bail  with,  and 
the  two  women  aided  actively  in  the  search.  I  found 
one  leather  scoop  in  the  bow,  but  as  it  was  well  that 
we  should  all  go  to  work,  I  took  two  tin  cans  that 
had  been  put  in  by  some  one  who  had  begun  to  pro 
vision  the  boat,  and  proceeded  to  cut  the  tops  from 
them  with  my  jack-knife. 

"  Don't  lose  what 's  in  'em,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks ;  "  that 
is,  if  it 's  anythin'  we  'd  be  likely  to  want  to  eat.  If 
it's  tomatoes,  pour  it  into  the  sea,  for  nobody  ought 
to  eat  tomatoes  put  up  in  tins." 

I  hastily  passed  the  cans  to  Mrs.  Leeks,  and  I  saw 
her  empty  the  contents  of  one  into  the  sea,  and  those 
of  the  other  on  a  newspaper  which  she  took  from  her 
pocket  and  placed  in  the  stern. 

I  pulled  up  the  movable  floor  and  threw  it  over 
board,  and  then  began  to  bail. 

"I  thought,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "that  they  always 
had  pumps  for  leaks." 

"Now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "just 
gether  yourself  up  on  one  of  them  seats,  and  go  to 
work.  The  less  talkin'  we  do  and  the  more  scoopiu', 
the  better  it  '11  be  for  us." 

I  soon  perceived  that  it  would  have  been  difficult  to 
find  two  more  valuable  assistants  in  the  bailing  of  a 
boat  than  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine.  They  were 
evidently  used  to  work,  and  were  able  to  accommo 
date  themselves  to  the  unusual  circumstances  in 
which  they  were  placed.  We  threw  out  the  water 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MES.  ALESHINE.  15 

very  rapidly,  and  every  little  while  I  stopped  bailing 
and  felt  about  to  see  if  I  could  discover  where  it  came 
in.  As  these  attempts  met  with  no  success,  I  gave 
them  up  after  a  time,  and  set  about  bailing  with  new 
vigor,  believing  that  if  we  could  get  the  boat  nearly 
dry,  I  should  surely  be  able  to  find  the  leak. 

But,  after  working  half  an  hour  more,  I  found  that 
the  job  would  be  a  long  one ;  and,  if  we  all  worked 
at  once,  we  would  all  be  tired  out  at  once,  and  that 
might  be  disastrous.  Therefore,  I  proposed  that  we 
should  take  turns  in  resting,  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  was 
ordered  to  stop  work  for  a  time.  After  this  Mrs. 
Leeks  took  a  rest,  and  when  she  went  to  work  I 
stopped  bailing  and  began  again  to  search  for  the 
leak. 

For  about  two  hours  we  worked  in  this  way,  and 
then  I  concluded  it  was  useless  to  continue  any  longer 
this  vain  exertion.  With  three  of  us  bailing  we  were 
able  to  keep  the  water  at  the  level  we  first  found  it ; 
but  with  only  two  at  work  it  slightly  gained  upon  us, 
so  that  now  there  was  more  water  in  the  boat  than 
when  we  first  discovered  it.  The  boat  was  an  iron 
one,  and  the  leak  in  it  I  could  neither  find  nor  remedy. 
It  had  probably  been  caused  by  the  warping  of  the 
metal  under  a  hot  sun ;  an  accident  which,  I  am  told, 
frequently  occurs  to  iron  boats.  The  little  craft, 
which  would  have  been  a  life-boat  had  its  air-boxes 
remained  intact,  was  now  probably  leaking  from  stem 
to  stern ;  and  in  searching  for  the  leak  without  the 
protection  of  the  flooring,  my  weight  had  doubtless 
assisted  in  opening  the  seams,  for  it  was  quite  plain 
that  the  water  was  now  coming  in  more  rapidly 


16  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

than  it  did  at  first.  We  were  very  tired,  and  even 
Mrs.  Leeks,  who  had  all  along  counseled  us  to  keep  at 
work  and  not  to  waste  one  breath  in  talking,  now 
admitted  that  it  was  of  no  use  to  try  to  get  the  water 
out  of  that  boat. 

It  had  been  some  hours  since  I  had  used  the  oars, 
but  whether  we  had  drifted  or  remained  where  we 
were  when  I  stopped  rowing,  of  course  I  could  not 
know ;  but  this  mattered  very  little ;  our  boat  was 
slowly  sinking  beneath  us,  and  it  could  make  no 
difference  whether  we  went  down  in  one  spot  or  an 
other.  I  sat  and  racked  my  brain  to  think  what  could 
be  done  in  this  fearful  emergency.  To  bail  any  longer 
was  useless  labor,  and  what  else  was  there  that  we 
could  do? 

"  When  will  it  be  time,"  asked  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  for  us 
to  put  on  the  life-preservers  ?  When  the  water  gets 
nearly  to  the  seats  ?  " 

I  answered  that  we  should  not  wait  any  longer  than 
that,  but  in  my  own  mind  I  could  not  see  any  advan 
tage  in  putting  them  on  at  all.  Why  should  we  wish 
to  lengthen  bur  lives  by  a  few  hours  of  helpless  float 
ing  upon  the  ocean  ? 

"  Very  good,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks ;  "  I  '11  keep  a  watch 
on  the  water.  One  of  them  cans  was  filled  with  lob 
ster,  which  would  be  more  than  likely  to  disagree  with 
us,  and  I  Ve  thro  wed  it  out ;  but  the  other  had  baked 
beans  in  it,  and  the  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  eat 
some  of  these  right  away.  They  are  mighty  nour- 
ishin',  and  will  keep  up  strength  as  well  as  anythin', 
and  then,  as  you  said  there  's  a  keg  of  water  in  the 
boat,  we  can  all  take  a  drink  of  that,  and  it  '11  make 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  17 

us  feel  like  new  cre'tur's.  You  '11  have  to  take  the 
beans  in  your  hands,  for  we  've  got  no  spoons  nor 
forks." 

Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  were  each  curled  up 
out  of  reach  of  the  water,  the  first  in  the  stern,  and 
the  other  on  the  aft  thwart.  The  day  was  now  be 
ginning  to  break,  aud  we  could  see  about  us  very  dis 
tinctly.  Before  reaching  out  her  hands  to  receive  her 
beans,  Mrs.  Aleshine  washed  them  in  the  water  in  the 
boat,  remarking  at  the  same  time  that  she  might  as 
well  make  use  of  it  since  it  was  there.  Having  then 
wiped  her  hands  on  some  part  of  her  apparel,  they 
were  filled  with  beans  from  the  newspaper  held  by 
Mrs.  Leeks,  and  these  were  passed  over  to  me.  I 
was  very  hungry,  and  when  I  had  finished  my  beans 
I  agreed  with  my  companions  that  although  they 
would  have  been  a  great  deal  better  if  heated  up  with 
butter,  pepper,  and  salt,  they  were  very  comforting 
as  they  were.  One  of  the  empty  cans  was  now  passed 
to  me,  and  after  having  been  asked  by  Mrs.  Leeks  to 
rinse  it  out  very  carefully,  we  all  satisfied  our  taste 
from  the  water  in  the  keg. 

"  Cold  baked  beans  and  lukewarm  water  ain't 
exactly  company  vittles,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshiue,  "  but 
there 's  many  a  poor  wretch  would  be  glad  to  get  'em." 

I  could  not  imagine  any  poor  wretch  who  would  be 
glad  of  the  food,  together  with  the  attending  circum 
stances  ;  but  I  did  not  say  so. 

"  The  water  is  just  one  finger  from  the  bottom  of 
the  seat,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  who  had  been  stooping 
over  to  measure,  "and  it  ;s  time  to  put  on  the  life- 
preservers." 


18  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

"  Very  good,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine ;  "  hand  me  mine." 

Each  of  us  now  buckled  on  a  life-preserver,  and  as 
I  did  so  I  stood  up  upon  a  thwart  and  looked  about 
me.  It  was  quite  light  now,  and  I  could  see  for  a 
long  distance  over  the  surface  of  the  ocean,  which 
was  gently  rolling  in  wide,  smooth  swells.  As  we 
rose  upon  the  summit  of  one  of  these  I  saw  a  dark 
spot  upon  the  water,  just  on  the  edge  of  our  near 
horizon.  "  Is  that  the  steamer?"  I  thought;  "and 
has  she  not  yet  sunk?" 

At  this  there  came  to  me  a  glimmering  of  coura 
geous  hope.  If  the  steamer  had  remained  afloat  so 
long,  it  was  probable  that  on  account  of  water-tight 
compartments,  or  for  some  other  reason,  her  sinking- 
had  reached  its  limit,  and  that  if  we  could  get  back  to 
her  we  might  be  saved.  But,  alas,  how  were  we  to 
get  back  to  her?  This  boat  would  sink  long,  long 
before  I  could  row  that  distance. 

However,  I  soon  proclaimed  the  news  to  my  com 
panions,  whereupon  Mrs.  Aleshine  prepared  to  stand 
upon  a  thwart  and  see  for  herself.  But  Mrs.  Leeks 
restrained  her. 

"  Don't  make  things  worse,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said 
she,  "  by  tumblin'  overboard.  If  we  Ve  got  to  go  into 
the  water,  let  us  do  it  decently  and  in  order.  If  that 's 
the  ship,  Mr.  Craig,  don't  you  suppose  we  can  float 
ourselves  to  it  in  some  way  "I " 

I  replied  that  by  the  help  of  a  life-preserver  a  per 
son  who  could  swim  might  reach  the  ship. 

"  But  neither  of  us  can  swim,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"for  we  've  lived  where  the  water  was  never  more  7n 
a  foot  deep,  except  in  time  of  freshets,  when  there 's 


MBS.  LECKS  AND  MBS.  ALESHINE.  19 

no  swimmin'  for  man  or  beast.  But  if  we  see  you 
swiin  perhaps  we  can  follow,  after  a  fashion.  At  any 
rate,  we  must  do  the  best  we  can,  and  that 's  all  there 
is  to  be  done." 

"  The  water  now,"  remarked  Mrs.  Aleshiue,  "  is  so 
near  to  the  bottom  of  my  seat  that  1 've  got  to  stand 
up,  tumble  overboard  or  no." 

"All  right,"  remarked  Mrs.  Leeks;  "we  'd  better 
all  stand  up,  and  let  the  boat  sink  under  us.  That 
will  save  our  jumpin'  overboard,  or  rollin'  out  any 
which  way,  which  might  be  awkward." 

"  Goodness  gracious  me  !"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine. 
"  You  set  the  oysters  creepin'  over  me  again !  First 
you  talk  of  the  ship  sinkin'  under  us,  and  now  it 's 
the  boat  goin'  to  the  bottom  under  our  feet.  Before 
any  sinkin'  's  to  be  done  I  'd  ruther  get  out." 

"  Now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  stand 
up  straight,  and  don't  talk  so  much.  It  '11  be  a  great 
deal  better  to  be  let  down  gradual  than  to  flop  into 
the  water  all  of  a  bunch." 

"Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  It  may  be  best 
to  get  used  to  it  by  degrees,  but  I  must  say  I  wish  I 
was  home." 

As  for  me,  I  would  have  much  preferred  to  jump 
overboard  at  once,  instead  of  waiting  in  this  cold 
blooded  manner;  but  as  my  companions  had  so  far 
preserved  their  presence  of  mind,  I  did  not  wish  to  do 
anything  which  might  throw  them  into  a  panic.  I 
believed  there  would  be  no  danger  from  the  suction 
caused  by  the  sinking  of  a  small  boat  like  this,  and 
if  we  took  care  not  to  entangle  ourselves  with  it  in 
any  way,  we  might  as  well  follow  Mrs.  Lecks's  advice 


20  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

as  not.  So  we  all  stood  up,  Mrs.  Leeks  in  the  stern, 
I  in  the  bow,  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  on  a  thwart  between 
us.  The  last  did  not  appear  to  have  quite  room 
enough  for  a  steady  footing,  but,  as  she  remarked,  it 
did  not  matter  very  much,  as  the  footing,  broad  or 
narrow,  would  not  be  there  very  long. 

I  am  used  to  swimming,  and  have  never  hesitated 
to  take  a  plunge  into  river  or  ocean,  but  I  must  ad 
mit  that  it  was  very  trying  to  my  nerves  to  stand  up 
this  way  and  wait  for  a  boat  to  sink  beneath  me. 
How  the  two  women  were  affected  I  do  not  know. 
They  said  nothing,  but  their  faces  indicated  that 
something  disagreeable  was  about  to  happen,  and 
that  the  less  that  was  said  about  it  the  better. 

The  boat  had  now  sunk  so  much  that  the  water 
was  around  Mrs.  Aleshine's  feet,  her  standing-place 
being  rather  lower  than  ours.  I  made  myself  certain 
that  there  were  no  ropes  nor  any  other  means  of 
entanglement  near  my  companions  or  myself,  and 
then  I  waited.  There  seemed  to  be  a  good  deal  of 
buoyancy  in  the  bow  and  stern  of  the  boat,  and  it 
was  a  frightfully  long  time  in  sinking.  The  suspense 
became  so  utterly  unendurable  that  I  was  tempted  to 
put  one  foot  on  the  edge  of  the  boat,  and,  by  tipping 
it,  put  an  end  to  this  nerve-rack  ;  but  I  refrained,  for 
I  probably  would  throw  the  women  off  their  balance, 
when  they  might  fall  against  some  part  of  the  boat, 
and  do  themselves  a  hurt.  I  had  just  relinquished 
this  intention,  when  two  little  waves  seemed  to  rise 
one  on  each  side  of  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  gently  flowing 
over  the  side  of  the  boat,  they  flooded  her  feet  with 
water. 


MES.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  21 

"Hold  your  breaths!"  I  shouted.  And  now  I 
experienced  a  sensation  which  must  have  been  very 
like  that  which  comes  to  a  condemned  criminal  at  the 
first  indication  of  the  pulling  of  the  drop.  Then 
there  was  a  horrible  sinking,  a  gurgle,  and  a  swash, 
and  the  ocean,  over  which  I  had  been  gazing,  ap 
peared  to  rise  up  and  envelop  me. 

In  a  moment,  however,  my  head  was  out  of  the 
water,  and,  looking  hastily  about  me,  I  saw,  close  by, 
the  heads  and  shoulders  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine.  The  latter  was  vigorously  winking  her  eyes 
and  blowing  from  her  mouth  some  sea-water  that 
had  got  into  it;  but  as  soon  as  her  eyes  fell  upon  me 
she  exclaimed :  "  That  was  ever  so  much  more  sud- 
dint  than  I  thought  it  was  goin'  to  be ! " 

"Are  you  both  all  right?" 

"  I  suppose  I  am,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  but  I  never 
thought  that  a  person  with  a  life-preserver  on  would 
go  clean  under  the  water." 

"But  since  you  've  come  up  again,  you  ought  to  be 
satisfied,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "And  now,"  she  added, 
turning  her  face  toward  me,  "which  way  ought  we 
to  try  to  swim  ?  and  have  we  got  everythin'  we  want 
to  take  with  us?" 

"What  we  have  n't  got  we  can't  get,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Aleshine;  "and  as  for  swimmin',  I  expect  I  'm  goin' 
to  make  a  poor  hand  at  it." 

I  had  a  hope,  which  was  not  quite  strong  enough  to 
be  a  belief,  that,  supported  by  their  life-preservers,  the 
two  women  might  paddle  themselves  along;  and  that, 
by  giving  them  in  turn  a  helping  hand,  I  might  even 
tually  get  them  to  the  steamer.  There  was  a  strong 


22  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

probability  that  I  would  not  succeed,  but  I  did  not 
care  to  think  of  that. 

I  now  swam  in  front  of  my  companions,  and  en 
deavored  to  instruct  them  in  the  best  method  of  pro 
pelling  themselves  with  their  arms  and  their  hands. 
If  they  succeeded  in  this,  I  thought  I  would  give  them 
some  further  lessons  in  striking  out  with  their  feet. 
After  watching  me  attentively,  Mrs.  Leeks  did  manage 
to  move  herself  slowly  through  the  smooth  water,  but 
poor  Mrs.  Aleshine  could  do  nothing  but  splash. 

"If  there  was  any  thin'  to  take  hold  of,"  she  said  to 
me,  "I  might  get  along,  but  I  can't  get  any  grip  on 
the  water,  though  you  seem  to  do  it  well  enough. 
Look  there!"  she  added  in  a  higher  voice.  "Is  n't 
that  an  oar  floatin'  over  there?  If  you  can  get  that 
for  me,  I  believe  I  can  row  myself  much  better  than 
I  can  swim." 

This  seemed  an  odd  idea,  but  I  swam  over  to  the 
floating  oar,  and  brought  it  her.  I  was  about  to  show 
her  how  she  could  best  use  it,  but  she  declined  my 
advice. 

"If  I  do  it  at  all,"  she  said,  "I  must  do  it  in  my  own 
way."  And,  taking  the  oar  in  her  strong  hands,  she 
began  to  ply  it  on  the  water,  very  much  in  the  way  in 
which  she  would  handle  a  broom.  At  first  she  dipped 
the  blade  too  deeply,  but,  correcting  this  error,  she 
soon  began  to  paddle  herself  along  at  a  slow  but 
steady  rate. 

"  Capital ! "  I  cried.     "  You  do  that  admirably ! " 

"Anybody  who  's  swept  as  many  rooms  as  I  have," 
she  said,  "ought  to  be  able  to  handle  anythin'  that 
can  be  used  like  a  broom." 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  23 

"Is  n't  there  another  oar?'7  cried  Mrs.  Leeks,  who 
had  now  been  left  a  little  distance  behind  us.  "If 
there  is,  I  want  one." 

Looking  about  me,  I  soon  discovered  another  float 
ing  oar,  and  brought  it  to  Mrs.  Leeks,  who,  after 
holding  it  in  various  positions,  so  as  to  get  "the  hang 
of  it,"  as  she  said,  soon  began  to  use  it  with  as  much 
skill  as  that  shown  by  her  friend.  If  either  of  them 
had  been  obliged  to  use  an  oar  in  the  ordinary  way, 
I  fear  they  would  have  had  a  bad  time  of  it;  but, 
considering  the  implement  in  the  light  of  a  broom,  its 
use  immediately  became  familiar  to  them,  and  they 
got  on  remarkably  well. 

I  now  took  a  position  a  little  in  advance  of  my  com 
panions,  and  as  I  swam  slowly  they  were  easily  able 
to  keep  up  with  me.  Mrs.  Aleshine,  being  so  stout, 
floated  much  higher  out  of  the  water  than  either  Mrs. 
Leeks  or  I,  and  this  permitted  her  to  use  her  oar  with 
a  great  deal  of  freedom.  Sometimes  she  would  give 
such  a  vigorous  brush  to  the  water  that  she  would 
turn  herself  almost  entirely  around,  but,  after  a  little 
practice,  she  learned  to  avoid  undue  efforts  of  this 
kind. 

I  was  not  positively  sure  that  we  were  going  in  the 
right  direction,  for  my  position  did  not  allow  me  to 
see  very  far  over  the  water ;  but  I  remembered  that 
when  I  was  standing  up  in  the  boat  and  made  my  dis 
covery,  the  sun  was  just  about  to  rise  in  front  of  me, 
while  the  dark  spot  on  the  ocean  lay  to  my  left.  Judg 
ing,  therefore,  from  the  present  position  of  the  sun, 
which  was  not  very  high,  I  concluded  that  we  were 
moving  toward  the  north,  and  therefore  in  the  right 


24 

direction.  How  far  off  the  steamer  might  be  I  had  no 
idea,  for  I  was  not  accustomed  to  judging  distances 
at  sea;  but  I  believed  that  if  we  were  careful  of  our 
strength,  and  if  the  ocean  continued  as  smooth  as  it 
now  was,  we  might  eventually  reach  the  vessel,  pro 
vided  she  were  yet  afloat. 

"  After  you  are  fairly  in  the  water/'  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  as  she  swept  along,  although  without  the 
velocity  which  that  phrase  usually  implies,  "it  is  n't 
half  so  bad  as  I  thought  it  would  be.  For  one  thing, 
it  don't  feel  a  bit  salt,  although  I  must  say  it  tasted 
horribly  that  way  when  I  first  went'  into  it." 

"You  did  n't  expect  to  find  pickle-brine,  did  you?" 
said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "Though  if  it  was,  I  suppose  we 
could  float  on  it  settin'." 

"And  as  to  bein'  cold,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshiue,  "the  part 
of  me  that 's  in  is  actually  more  comfortable  than  that 
which  is  out." 

"There's  one  thing  I  would  have  been  afraid  of," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "if  we  had  n't  made  preparations  for 
it,  and  that 's  sharks." 

"Preparations!"  I  exclaimed.  "How  in  the  world 
did  you  prepare  for  sharks  ?  " 

"Easy  enough,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "When  we  went 
down  into  our  room  to  get  ready  to  go  away  in  the 
boats  we  both  put  on  black  stockin's.  I  've  read  that 
sharks  never  bite  colored  people,  although  if  they  see  a 
white  man  in  the  water  they  '11  snap  him  up  as  quick 
as  lightnin';  and  black  stockiu's  was  the  nearest  we 
could  come  to  it.  You  see,  I  thought  as  like  as  not 
we  'd  have  some  sort  of  an  upset  before  we  got 
through." 


MES.  LECKS  AND  MES.  ALESHINE.  25 

"It's  a  great  comfort/'  remarked  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  and  I  'm  very  glad  you  thought  of  it,  Mrs.  Leeks. 
After  this  I  shall  make  it  a  rule :  Black  stockin's 
for  sharks." 

"  I  suppose  in  your  case,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  address 
ing  me,  "  dark  trousers  will  do  as  well." 

To  which  I  answered  that  I  sincerely  hoped  they 
would. 

"Another  thing  I  'm  thankful  for,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  "  is  that  I  thought  to  put  on  a  flannel 
skeert." 

"And  what 's  the  good  of  it,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "when 
it 's  soppin'  wet  ? " 

"  Flannel 's  flannel,"  replied  her  friend,  "  whether 
it 's  wet  or  dry ;  and  if  you  'd  had  the  rheumatism  as 
much  as  I  have,  you  'd  know  it." 

To  this  Mrs.  Leeks  replied  with  a  sniff,  and  asked 
me  how  soon  I  thought  we  would  get  sight  of  the 
ship,  for  if  we  were  going  the  wrong  way,  and  had  to 
turn  round  and  go  back,  it  would  certainly  be  very 
provoking. 

I  should  have  been  happy  indeed  to  be  able  to  give 
a  satisfactory  answer  to  this  question.  Every  time 
that  we  rose  upon  a  swell  I  threw  a  rapid  glance 
around  the  whole  circle  of  the  horizon,  and  at  last, 
not  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  Mrs.  Lecks's  question, 
I  was  rejoiced  to  see,  almost  in  the  direction  in  which 
I  supposed  it  ought  to  be,  the  dark  spot  which  I  had 
before  discovered.  I  shouted  the  glad  news,  and  as 
we  rose  again  my  companions  strained  their  eyes  in 
the  direction  to  which  I  pointed.  They  both  saw  it, 
and  were  greatly  satisfied. 


26  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  it  seems  as  if 
there  was  somethiii'  to  work  for,"  arid  she  began  to 
sweep  her  oar  with  great  vigor. 

"  If  you  want  to  tire  yourself  out  before  you  get 
there,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,''  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  you  'd 
better  go  on  in  that  way.  Now  what  I  advise  is  that 
we  stop  rowin'  altogether  and  have  somethiu'  to  eat, 
for  I  'in  sure  we  need  it  to  keep  up  our  strength." 

"  Eat !"  I  cried.  *'  What  are  you  going  to  eat  ?  Do 
you  expect  to  catch  fish  ? " 

"  And  eat  'em  raw  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "  I  should 
think  not.  But  do  you  suppose,  Mr.  Craig,  that  Mrs. 
Aleshine  and  me  would  go  off  and  leave  that  ship 
without  takin'  somethin'  to  eat  by  the  way  ?  Let 's 
all  gether  here  in  a  bunch,  and  see  what  sort  of  a 
meal  we  can  make.  And  now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine.  if 
you  lay  your  oar  down  there  on  the  water,  I  recom 
mend  you  to  tie  it  to  one  of  your  bonnet-strings,  or 
it  '11  be  floatiu'  away,  and  you  won't  get  it  again." 

As  she  said  this,  Mrs.  Leeks  put  her  right  hand 
down  into  the  water,  and  fumbled  about  apparently 
in  search  of  a  pocket.  I  could  not  but  smile  as  I 
thought  of  the  condition  of  food  when,  for  an  hour  or 
more,  it  had  been  a  couple  of  feet  under  the  surface 
of  the  ocean;  but  my  ideas  on  the  subject  were  en 
tirely  changed  when  I  saw  Mrs.  Leeks  hold  up  in  the 
air  two  German  sausages,  and  shake  the  briny  drops 
from  their  smooth  and  glittering  surfaces. 

"  There  's  nothin',"  she  said,  "like  sausages  for  ship 
wreck  and  that  kind  o'  thing.  They  're  very  sustaining 
and  bein'  covered  with  a  tight  skin,  water  can't  get 
at  'em,  no  matter  how  you  carry  'em.  I  would  n't 


MES.  LECKS   AND   MES.  ALESHINE.  2? 

bring  these  out  in  the  boat,  because  havin'  the  beans 
we  might  as  well  eat  them.  Have  you  a  knife  about 
you,  Mr.  Craig  V 

I  produced  a  dripping  jack-knife,  and  after  the  open 
blade  had  been  waved  in  the  air  to  dry  it  a  little,  Mrs. 
Leeks  proceeded  to  divide  cne  of  the  sausages,  hand 
ing  the  other  to  me  to  hold  meanwhile. 

"  Now  don't  go  eatin'  sausages  without  bread,  if 
you  don't  want  'em  to  give  you  dyspepsy,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  who  was  tugging  at  a  submarine  pocket. 

"  I  'm  very  much  afraid  your  bread  is  all  soaked," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks. 

To  which  her  friend  replied  that  that  remained  to 
be  seen,  and  forthwith  produced  with  a  splash  a  glass 
preserve-jar  with  a  metal  top. 

"  I  saw  this  nearly  empty,  as  I  looked  into  the  ship's 
pantry,  and  I  stuffed  into  it  all  the  soft  biscuits  it 
would  hold.  There  was  some  sort  of  jam  left  at  the 
bottom,  so  that  the  one  who  gets  the  last  biscuit  will 
have  somethin'  of  a  little  spread  on  it.  And  now,  Mrs. 
Leeks,"  she  continued  triumphantly,  as  she  unscrewed 
the  top,  "  that  rubber  ring  has  kept  'em  as  dry  as  chips. 
I  'm  mighty  glad  of  it,  for  I  had  trouble  enough  gettin' 
this  jar  into  my  pocket,  and  gettin'  it  out,  too.  for  that 
matter." 

Floating  thus,  with  our  hands  and  shoulders  above 
the  water,  we  made  a  very  good  meal  from  the  sau 
sages  and  soft  biscuit. 

"  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  as  her  friend 

proceeded  to  cut  the  second  sausage,  "  don't  you  lay 

that  knife  down  when  you  've  done  with  it,  as  if  't 

was  an  oar;    for  if  you  do  it  '11  sink,  as  like  as  not, 

3 


28  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

about  six  miles.  I  've  read  that  the  ocean  is  as  deep 
as  that  in  some  places." 

"  Goodness  gracious  me  ! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  I  hope  we  are  not  over  one  of  them  deep  spots." 

"There 's  no  knowin',"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "but  if  it 's 
more  comf  ortin'  to  think  it 's  shallerer,  we  '11  make  up 
our  minds  that  way.  Now,  then,"  she  continued, 
"  we  '11  finish  off  this  meal  with  a  little  somethin'  to 
drink.  I  'rn  not  given  to  takiu'  spirits,  but  I  never 
travel  without  a  little  whisky,  ready  mixed  with 
water,  to  take  if  it  should  be  needed." 

So  saying,  she  produced  from  one  of  her  pockets  a 
whisky-flask  tightly  corked,  and  of  its  contents  we 
each  took  a  sip,  Mrs.  Aleshiue  remarking  that,  leav 
ing  out  being  chilled  or  colicky,  we  were  never  likely 
to  need  it  more  than  now. 

Thus  refreshed  and  strengthened,  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine  took  up  their  oars,  while  I  swam  slightly 
in  advance,  as  before.  When,  with  occasional  inter 
missions  of  rest,  and  a  good  deal  of  desultory  conver 
sation,  we  had  swept  and  swam  for  about  an  hour, 
Mrs.  Leeks  suddenly  exclaimed :  "I  can  see  that  thing 
ever  so  much  plainer  now,  and  I  don't  believe  it 's  a 
ship  at  all.  To  me  it  looks  like  bushes." 

"You  're  mighty  long-sighted  without  your  specs," 
said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "and  I'm  not  sure  but  what  you  're 
right." 

For  ten  minutes  or  more  I  had  been  puzzling  over 
the  shape  of  the  dark  spot  which  was  now  nearly  all 
the  time  in  sight.  Its  peculiar  form  had  filled  me 
with  a  dreadful  fear  that  it  was  the  steamer,  bottom 
upward,  although  I  knew  enough  about  nautical 


MES.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  29 

matters  to  have  no  good  reason  to  suppose  that  this 
conld  be  the  case.  I  am  not  far-sighted,  but  when 
Mrs.  Leeks  suggested  bushes,  I  gazed  at  the  distant 
object  with  totally  different  ideas,  and  soon  began  to 
believe  that  it  was  not  a  ship,  either  right  side  up  or 
wrong  side  up,  but  that  it  might  be  an  island.  This 
belief  I  proclaimed  to  my  companions,  and  for  some 
time  we  all  worked  with  increased  energy  in  the  desire 
to  get  near  enough  to  make  ourselves  certain  in  re 
gard  to  this  point. 

"  As  true  as  I  'm  standin'  here,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
who,  although  she  could  not  read  without  spectacles, 
had  remarkably  good  sight  at  long  range,  "  them  is 
trees  and  bushes  that  I  see  before  me,  though  they 
do  seem  to  be  growin'  right  out  of  the  water." 

"  There  's  an  island  under  them  ;  you  may  be  sure 
of  that !"  I  cried.  "And  is  n't  this  ever  so  much  bet 
ter  than  a  sinking  ship?" 

"  1 'm  not  so  sure  about  that,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine. 
"  I  'm  used  to  the  ship,  and  as  long  as  it  did  n't  sink 
I  'd  prefer  it.  There  's  plenty  to  eat  on  board  of  it, 
and  good  beds  to  sleep  on,  which  is  more  than  can  be 
expected  on  a  little  bushy  place  like  that  ahead  of  us. 
But  then,  the  ship  might  sink  all  of  a  suddint,  beds, 
vittles,  and  all." 

"  Do  you  suppose  that  is  the  island  the  other  boats 
went  to?"  asked  Mrs.  Leeks. 

This  question  I  had  already  asked  of  myself.  I  had 
been  told  that  the  island  to  which  the  captain  in 
tended  to  take  his  boats  lay  about  thirty  miles  south 
of  the  point  where  we  left  the  steamer.  Now  I  knew 
very  well  that  we  had  not  come  thirty  miles,  and  had 


30  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

reason  to  believe,  moreover,  that  the  greater  part  of 
the  progress  we  had  made  had  been  toward  the  north. 
It  was  not  at  all  probable  that  the  position  of  this 
island  was  unknown  to  our  captain ;  and  it  must, 
therefore,  have  been  considered  by  him  as  an  unsuit 
able  place  for  the  landing  of  his  passengers.  There 
might  be  many  reasons  for  this  unsuitableness;  the 
island  might  be  totally  barren  and  desolate ;  it  might 
be  the  abode  of  unpleasant  natives;  and,  more  im 
portant  than  anything  else,  it  was,  in  all  probability, 
a  spot  where  steamers  never  touched. 

But,  whatever  its  disadvantages,  I  was  most  wildly 
desirous  to  reach  it;  more  so,  I  believe,  than  either  of 
my  companions.  I  do  not  mean  that  they  were  not 
sensible  of  their  danger,  and  desirous  to  be  freed 
from  it;  but  they  were  women  who  had  probably  had 
a  rough  time  of  it  during  a  great  part  of  their  lives, 
and  on  emerging  from  their  little  circle  of  rural 
experiences  accepted  with  equanimity,  and  almost  as 
a  matter  of  course,  the  rough  times  which  come  to 
people  in  the  great  outside  world. 

"  I  do  not  believe,"  I  said,  in  answer  to  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"  that  that  is  the  island  to  which  the  captain  would 
have  taken  us  ;  but,  whatever  it  is,  it  is  dry  land,  and 
we  must  get  there  as  soon  as  we  can." 

"That 's  true,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  for  I  'd  like  to 
have  ground  nearer  to  my  feet  than  six  miles,  and  if 
we  don't  find  anythin'  to  eat  and  any  place  to  sleep 
when  we  get  there,  it  's  no  more  than  can  be  said  of 
where  we  are  now." 

"You  're  too  particular,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said 
Mrs.  Leeks,  "  about  your  comforts.  If  you  find  the 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  31 

ground  too  hard  to  sleep  on  when  you  get  there,  you  can 
put  on  your  life-preserver,  and  go  to  bed  in  the  water." 

"Very  good,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine;  "and  if  these 
islands  are  made  of  coral,  as  I  Ve  heard  they  was,  and 
if  they  're  as  full  of  small  p'ints  as  some  coral  1 7ve 
got  at  home,  you  '11  be  glad  to  take  a  berth  by  me, 
Mrs.  Leeks." 

I  counseled  my  companions  to  follow  me  as  rapidly 
as  possible,  and  we  all  pushed  vigorously  forward. 
When  we  had  approached  near  enough  to  the  island 
to  see  what  sort  of  place  it  really  was,  we  perceived 
that  it  was  a  low-lying  spot,  apparently  covered  with 
verdure,  and  surrounded,  as  far  as  we  could  see  as  we 
rose  on  the  swells,  by  a  rocky  reef,  against  which  a 
tolerably  high  surf  was  running.  I  knew  enough  of 
the  formation  of  these  coral  islands  to  suppose  that 
within  this  reef  was  a  lagoon  of  smooth  water,  into 
which  there  were  openings  through  the  rocky  barrier. 
It  was  necessary  to  try  to  find  one  of  these,  for  it 
would  be  difficult  and  perhaps  dangerous  to  attempt 
to  land  through  the  surf. 

Before  us  we  could  see  a  continuous  line  of  white- 
capped  breakers ;  and  so  I  led  my  little  party  to  the 
right,  hoping  that  we  would  soon  see  signs  of  an 
opening  in  the  reef. 

We  swam  and  paddled,  however,  for  a  long  time, 
and  still  the  surf  rolled  menacingly  on  the  rocks  be 
fore  us.  We  were  now  as  close  to  the  island  as  we 
could  approach  with  safety,  and  I  determined  to  cir-' 
cumnavigate  it,  if  necessary,  before  I  would  attempt, 
with  these  two  women,  to  land  upon  that  jagged  reef. 
At  last  we  perceived,  at  no  great  distance  before  us, 


32  MRS.  LECKS   AND   MES.  ALESHINE. 

a  spot  where  there  seemed  to  be  no  breakers;  and 
when  we  reached  it  we  found,  to  our  unutterable  de 
light,  that  here  was  smooth  water  flowing  through  a 
wide  opening  in  the  reef.  The  rocks  were  piled  up 
quite  high,  and  the  reef,  at  this  point  at  least,  was  a 
wide  one;  for  as  we  neared  the  opening  we  found  that 
it  narrowed  very  soon  and  made  a  turn  to  the  left,  so 
that  from  the  outside  we  could  not  see  into  the  lagoon. 

I  swam  into  this  smooth  water,  followed  close  by 
Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who,  however,  soon 
became  unable  to  use  their  oars,  owing  to  the  prox 
imity  of  the  rocks.  Dropping  these  useful  implements, 
they  managed  to  paddle  after  me  with  their  hands; 
and  they  were  as  much  astonished  as  I  was  when,  just 
after  making  the  slight  turn,  we  found  stretched 
across  the  narrow  passage  a  great  iron  bar  about 
eight  or  ten  inches  above  the  water.  A  little  farther 
on,  and  two  or  three  feet  above  the  water,  another 
iron  bar  extended  from  one  rocky  wall  to  the  other. 
Without  uttering  a  word  I  examined  the  lower  bar, 
and  found  one  end  of  it  fastened  by  means  of  a  huge 
padlock  to  a  great  staple  driven  into  the  rock.  The 
lock  was  securely  wrapped  in  what  appeared  to  be 
tarred  canvas.  A  staple  through  an  eyehole  in  the 
bar  secured  the  other  end  of  it  to  the  rocks. 

" These  bars  were  put  here,"  I  exclaimed,  "to  keep 
out  boats,  whether  at  high  or  low  water.  You  see 
they  can  only  be  thrown  out  of  the  way  by  taking  off 
the  padlocks." 

"They  won't  keep  us  out,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "for  we 
can  duck  under.  I  suppose  whoever  put  'em  here 
did  n't  expect  anybody  to  arrive  on  life-preservers." 


PART   II 


DOPTING  Mrs.  Lecks's  suggestion, 
I  "ducked''  my  head  under  the  bar, 
and  passed  to  the  other  side  of  it. 
Mrs.  Leeks,  with  but  little  trouble, 
followed  my  example;  but  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  who,  by  reason  of  her  stout 
ness,  floated  so  much  higher  out  of  the  water  than  her 
friend  and  I,  found  it  impossible  to  get  herself  under 
the  bar.  In  whatever  manner  she  made  the  attempt, 
her  head  or  her  shoulders  were  sure  to  bump  and 
arrest  her  progress. 

"  Now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  who  had 
been  watching  her,  "if  you  ever  want  to  get  out  of 
this  salt  water,  you  've  got  to  make  up  your  mind  to 
take  some  of  it  into  your  mouth  and  into  your  eyes; 
that  is,  if  you  don't  keep  'em  shut.  Get  yourself  as 
close  to  that  bar  as  you  can,  and  I  '11  come  and  put 
you  under." 

So  saying,  Mrs.  Leeks  returned  to  the  other  side  of 
the  bar,  and  having  made  Mrs.  Aleshine  bow  down 
her  head  and  close  her  eyes  and  mouth,  she  placed 
both  hands  upon  her  companion's  broad  shoulders 

33 


34  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

and  threw  as  much  weight  as  possible  upon  them. 
Mrs.  Aleshine  almost  disappeared  beneath  the  water, 
but  she  came  up  sputtering  and  blinking  on  the  other 
side  of  the  bar,  where  she  was  quickly  joined  by  Mrs. 
Leeks. 

"  Merciful  me! "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  wiping  her 
wet  face  with  her  still  wetter  sleeve,  "I  never  supposed 
the  heathens  would  be  up  to  such  tricks  as  makin'  us 
do  that!" 

I  had  waited  to  give  any  assistance  that  might  be 
required,  and,  while  doing  so,  had  discovered  another 
bar  under  the  water,  which  proved  that  entrance  at 
almost  any  stage  of  the  tide  had  been  guarded  against. 
Warning  my  companions  not  to  strike  their  feet 
against  this  submerged  bar,  we  paddled  and  pushed 
ourselves  around  the  turn  in  the  rocky  passage,  and 
emerged  into  the  open  lagoon. 

This  smooth  stretch  of  water,  which  separated  the 
island  from  its  encircling  reef,  was  here  about  a  hun 
dred  feet  wide;  and  the  first  thing  that  arrested  our 
attention  as  we  gazed  across  it  was  a  little  wharf  or 
landing-stage,  erected  upon  the  narrow  beach  of  the 
island,  almost  opposite  to  us. 

"As  sure  as  I  stand  here,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Leeks, 
who  never  seemed  to  forget  her  upright  position, 
"  somebody  lives  in  this  place ! " 

"And  it  is  n't  a  stickery  coral  island,  either,"  cried 
Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  for  that  sand  's  as  smooth  as  any  I 
ever  saw." 

"Whoever  does  live  here,"  resumed  Mrs.  Leeks,  "has 
got  to  take  us  in,  whether  they  like  it  or  not ;  and  the 
sooner  we  get  over  there,  the  better." 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  35 

Mrs.  Aleshine  now  regretted  the  loss  of  her  oar,  and 
suggested  that  some  one  of  us  who  could  get  under 
bars  easily  should  go  back  after  it.  But  Mrs.  Leeks 
would  listen  to  no  such  proposition. 

"  Let  the  oars  go,"  she  said.  "  We  won't  want  'era 
again,  for  I  '11  never  leave  this  place  if  I  have  to  scoop 
myself  out  to  sea  with  an  oar." 

I  told  the  two  women  that  I  could  easily  tow  them 
across  this  narrow  piece  of  water;  and  instructing 
Mrs.  Leeks  to  take  hold  of  the  tail  of  my  coat,  while 
Mrs.  Aleshine  grasped  her  companion's  dress,  I  began 
to  swim  slowly  toward  the  beach,  towing  my  com 
panions  behind  me. 

"  Goodnessful  gracious  me  !  "  suddenly  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Aleshine,  with  a  great  bounce  and  a  splash,  "look 
at  the  fishes ! " 

The  water  in  the  lagoon  was  so  clear  that  it  was 
almost  transparent,  and  beneath  us  and  around  us  we 
could  see  fish,  some  large  and  some  small,  swimming 
about  as  if  they  were  floating  in  the  air,  while  down 
below  the  white  sandy  bottom  seemed  to  sparkle  in 
the  sunlight. 

"Now  don't  jerk  my  skeert  off  on  account  of  the 
fishes,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "I  expect  there  was  just  as 
many  outside,  though  we  could  n't  see  'em.  But  I 
must  say  that  this  water  looks  as  if  it  had  been  boiled 
and  filtered." 

If  any  inhabitant  of  the  island  had  then  been  stand 
ing  on  the  wharf,  he  would  have  beheld  on  the  surface 
of  the  lagoon  the  peculiar  spectacle  of  a  man's  head 
surmounted  by  a  wet  and  misshapen  straw  hat,  and 
followed  by  two  other  heads,  each  wearing  a  dripping 


36  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

and  bedraggled  bonnet,  while  beneath,  among  the 
ripples  of  the  clear  water,  would  be  seen  the  figures 
belonging  to  these  three  heads,  each  dressed  in  the 
clothes  ordinarily  worn  on  dry  land. 

As  I  swarn  I  could  see  before  me,  on  the  island, 
nothing  but  a  mass  of  low-growing,  tropical  vegeta 
tion,  behind  which  rose  some  palms  and  other  trees. 
I  made  for  the  little  wharf,  from  which  steps  came 
down  into  the  water,  and  as  soon  as  we  reached  it  we 
all  clambered  rapidly  up,  and  stood  dripping  upon  the 
narrow  platform,  stamping  our  feet  and  shaking  our 
clothes. 

''  Do  you  see  that  house?"  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "  That 's 
where  they  live,  and  I  wonder  which  way  we  must 
go  to  get  there." 

From  this  somewhat  elevated  position  I  could  plainly 
see,  over  the  tops  of  the  bushes  and  low  trees,  the 
upper  part  of  the  roof  of  a  house.  When  I  found  the 
bars  across  the  passage  in  the  reef,  I  had  easily  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  island 
were  not  savages;  and  now  since  I  had  seen  the 
wharf  and  the  roof  of  this  house,  I  felt  quite  convinced 
that  we  had  reached  the  abode  of  civilized  beings. 
They  might  be  pirates  or  some  other  sort  of  sea 
miscreant,  but  they  were  certainly  not  savages  or 
cannibals. 

Leaving  the  wharf,  we  soon  found  a  broad  path 
through  the  bushes,  and  in  a  few  moments  reached  a 
wide,  open  space,  in  which  stood  a  handsome  modern- 
built  house.  It  was  constructed  after  the  fashion  of 
tropical  houses  belonging  to  Europeans,  with  jalousied 
porches  and  shaded  balconies ;  the  grounds  about  it 


MES.  LECKS   AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  37 

were  neatly  laid  out,  and  behind  it  was  a  walled  in- 
closure,  probably  a  garden. 

"  Upon  my  word,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  I  'd 
like  to  be  less  drippin'  before  I  make  a  call  on  genteel 
folks ! " 

" Genteel  folks!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Leeks  indignantly. 
"  If  you  're  too  proud  to  go  in  as  you  are,  Barb'ry 
Aleshme,  you  can  go  set  in  the  sun  till  you  're  dry. 
As  for  me,  I  'in  goin'  to  ask  for  the  lady  of  the  house, 
and  if  she  don't  like  me  she  can  lump  me,  so  long  as 
she  gives  me  somethin'  to  eat  and  a  dry  bed  to  get 
into." 

I  was  too  much  amazed  to  speak,  but  my  compan 
ions  took  everything  as  a  matter  of  course.  They 
had  expected  to  see  strange  things  in  the  outer  world, 
and  they  were  not  surprised  when  they  saw  them. 
My  mind  was  not  capable  of  understanding  the  ex 
istence  of  an  establishment  like  this  011  a  little  island 
in  mid-ocean.  But  it  was  useless  for  me  to  attempt 
to  reason  on  this  apparent  phenomenon;  and,  indeed, 
there  was  no  time  for  it,  for  Mrs.  Leeks  walked  boldly 
up  to  the  front  door  and  plied  the  knocker,  stepping 
back  immediately,  so  that  she  might  not  drip  too  much 
water  on  the  porch. 

"  When  they  come,"  she  said,  "  we  '11  ask  'em  to  let 
us  in  the  back  way,  so  that  we  sha'n't  slop  up  their 
floors  any  more  than  we  can  help." 

We  waited  for  a  couple  of  minutes,  and  then  I,  as 
the  member  of  the  party  who  dripped  the  least,  went 
up  on  the  porch  and  knocked  again. 

"It  's  my  belief  they  're  not  at  home,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  after  we  had  waited  some  time  longer,  "but 


38  THE   CASTING  AWAY  OF 

perhaps  we  '11  find  some  of  the  servants  in  " ;  and  she 
led  the  way  to  the  back  part  of  the  house. 

As  we  passed  the  side  of  the  mansion  I  noticed  that- 
all  the  window-shutters  were  closed,  and  my  growing 
belief  that  the  place  was  deserted  became  a  conviction 
after  we  had  knocked  several  times  at  a  door  at  the 
back  of  the  building  without  receiving  any  answer. 

"Well,  they  're  all  gone  out,  that's  certain!"  said 
Mrs.  Leeks. 

"  Yes,  and  they  barred  up  the  entrance  to  the  island 
when  they  left,"  I  added. 

"  I  wonder  if  there 's  another  house  in  the  neighbor 
hood  I "  asked  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  I  don't  believe,"  said  I,  "  that  the  neighborhood  is 
very  thickly  settled ;  but  if  you  will  wait  here  a  few 
minutes,  I  will  run  around  this  wall  and  see  what 
there  is  beyond.  I  may  find  the  huts  of  some  natives 
or  work-people." 

I  followed  a  path  by  the  side  of  the  garden  wall, 
but  when  I  reached  the  end  of  the  inclosure  I  could 
see  nothing  before  me  but  jungle  and  forest,  with 
paths  running  in  several  directions.  I  followed  one 
of  these,  and  very  soon  came  out  upon  an  open  beach, 
with  the  reef  lying  beyond  it.  From  the  form  of  the 
beach  and  the  reef,  and  from  the  appearance  of -things 
generally,  I  began  to  think  that  this  was  probably  a 
very  small  island,  and  that  the  house  we  had  seen  was 
the  only  one  on  it.  I  returned  and  reported  this  be 
lief  to  my  companions. 

Now  that  Mrs.  Aleshiue  had  no  fear  of  appearing 
in  an  untidy  condition  before  "  genteel  folks,"  her 
manner  changed  very  much.  "  If  the  family  has 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  39 

gone  into  the  country,"  said  she,  "  or  whatever  else 
they  've  done,  I  want  to  get  into  this  house  as  soon 
as  I  can.  I  expect  we  can  find  something  to  eat.  At 
any  rate  we  can  get  ourselves  dry,  and  lay  down  some 
where  to  rest,  for  not  a  wink  has  one  of  us  slept  since 
night  before  last." 

"I  should  think,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  addressing  me, 
"  that  if  you  could  manage  to  climb  up  to  them  second- 
story  windows,  you  might  find  one  of  them  that  you 
could  get  in,  and  then  come  down  and  open  the  door 
for  us.  Everybody  is  likely  to  forget  to  fasten  some 
of  the  windows  on  the  upper  floors.  I  know  it  is  n't 
right  to  force  our  way  into  other  people's  houses,  but 
there 's  nothin'  else  to  be  done,  and  there 's  no  need  of 
our  talkin'  about  it." 

I  agreed  with  her  perfectly,  and  taking  off  my  coat 
and  shoes  I  climbed  up  one  of  the  columns  of  the 
veranda,  and  got  upon  its  roof.  This  extended  nearly 
the  whole  length  of  two  sides  of  the  house.  I  walked 
along  it  and  tried  all  the  shutters,  and  I  soon  came  to 
one  in  which  some  of  the  movable  slats  had  been 
broken.  Thrusting  my  hand  and  arm  through  the 
aperture  thus  formed,  I  unhooked  the  shutters  and 
opened  them.  The  sash  was  fastened  down  by  one 
of  the  ordinary  contrivances  used  for  such  purposes, 
but  with  the  blade  of  my  jack-knife  I  easily  pushed 
the  bolt  aside,  raised  the  sash,  and  entered.  I  found 
myself  in  a  small  hall  at  the  head  of  a  flight  of  stairs. 
Down  these  I  hurried,  and,  groping  my  way  through 
the  semi-darkness  of  the  lower  story,  I  reached  a  side 
door.  This  was  fastened  by  two  bolts  and  a  bar,  and 
I  quickly  had  it  open. 


40  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

Stepping  outside,  I  called  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine. 

"Well,"  said  the  latter,  "I'm  sure  I  '11  be  glad  to  get 
in,  and  as  we  Ve  squeezed  most  of  the  water  out  of  our 
clothes  we  won't  make  so  much  of  a  mess,  after  all." 

We  now  entered,  and  I  opened  one  of  the  shutters. 

"  Let 's  go  right  into  the  kitchen,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
" and  make  a  fire.  That's  the  first  thing  to  do." 

But  Mrs.  Leeks  soon  discovered  that  this  mansion 
was  very  different  from  a  country  dwelling  in  one  of 
our  Middle  States.  Externally,  and  as  far  as  I  had 
been  able  to  observe  its  internal  arrangements,  it  re 
sembled  the  houses  built  by  English  residents  which  I 
had  seen  in  the  West  Indies.  It  was  a  dwelling  in 
which  modern  ideas  in  regard  to  construction  and 
furnishing  adapted  themselves  to  the  requirements  of 
a  tropical  climate.  Apparently  there  was  no  kitchen. 
There  were  no  stairs  leading  to  a  lower  floor,  and  the 
darkened  rooms,  into  which  my  companions  peered, 
were  certainly  not  used  for  culinary  purposes. 

In  the  mean  time  I  had  gone  out  of  the  door  by 
which  we  had  entered,  and  soon  discovered,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  house,  a  small  building  with  a  chim 
ney  to  it,  which  I  felt  sure  must  be  the  kitchen.  The 
door  and  shutters  were  fastened,  but  before  making 
any  attempt  to  open  them  I  returned  to  announce  my 
discovery. 

"  Door  locked,  is  it  ? "  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  Just 
wait  a  minute." 

She  then  disappeared,  but  in  a  very  short  time 
came  out,  carrying  a  bunch  of  large  keys. 

"It 's  always  the  way,"  said  she,  as  the  two  followed 


MES.  LECKS  AND  MES.  ALESHINE.  41 

me  round  the  back  of  the  house,  "  when  people  shut 
up  a  house  and  leave  it,  to  put  all  the  door-keys  in 
the  back  corner  of  some  drawer  in  the  hall,  and  to 
take  only  the  front-door  key  with  them.  So,  you  see, 
I  knew  just  where  to  go  for  these." 

"  It 's  a  poor  hen,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "that  begins  to 
cackle  when  she  's  goin'  to  her  nest ;  the  wise  ones 
wait  till  they  're  comin'  away.  Now  we  '11  see  if  one 
of  them  keys  fit." 

Greatly  to  the  triumph  of  Mrs.  Aleshine,  the  second 
or  third  key  I  tried  unlocked  the  door.  Entering,  we 
found  ourselves  in  a  good-sized  kitchen,  with  a  great 
fireplace  at  one  end  of  it.  A  door  opened  from  the 
room  into  a  shed  where  there  was  a  pile  of  dry  twigs 
and  firewood. 

"  Let 's  have  a  fire  as  quick  as  we  can,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  for  since  I  went  into  that  shet-up  house  I  've 
been  chilled  to  the  bones." 

"That 's  so,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  and  now  I  know 
how  a  fish  keeps  comfortable  in  the  water,  and  how 
dreadfully  wet  and  flabby  it  must  feel  when  it 's  taken 
out." 

I  brought  in  a  quantity  of  wood  and  kindling,  and, 
finding  matches  in  a  tin  box  on  the  wall,  I  went  to 
work  to  make  a  fire,  and  was  soon  rewarded  by  a 
crackling  blaze.  Turning  around,  I  was  amazed  at 
the  actions  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshiue.  I  had 
expected  to  see  them  standing  shivering  behind  me, 
waiting  for  the  fire  to  be  made ;  but,  instead  of  that, 
they  were  moving  rapidly  here  and  there,  saying  not 
a  word,  but  going  as  straight  to  cupboard,  closet,  and 
pantry  as  the  hound  follows  the  track  of  the  hare. 


42  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

From  a  wild  chaos  of  uncongenial  surroundings, 
these  two  women  had  dropped  into  a  sphere  in  which 
they  were  perfectly  at  home.  The  kitchen  was  not 
altogether  like  those  to  which  they  had  been  accus 
tomed,  but  it  was  a  well-appointed  one,  and  their 
instincts  and  practice  made  them  quickly  understand 
where  they  would  find  what  they  wanted.  I  gazed 
on  them  with  delight  while  one  filled  a  kettle  from  a 
little  pump  in  the  corner  which  brought  water  from 
a  cistern,  and  the  other  appeared  from  the  pantry, 
carrying  a  tea-caddy  and  a  tin  biscuit-box. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  hanging  the  kettle 
on  a  crane  over  the  fire,  and  drawing  up  a  chair,  "  by 
the  time  we  've  got  a  little  dried  off,  the  kettle  will 
bile,  and  we  '11  have  some  hot  tea;  and  then  the  best 
thing  to  do  is  to  go  to  bed." 

"  We  '11  take  time  to  have  a  bite  first,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  "  for  I  was  never  so  near  famished  in  my 
life.  I  brought  out  a  box  nearly  full  of  biscuits,  and 
there  's  sardines  in  this,  Mr.  Craig,  which  you  can 
easy  open  with  your  knife." 

I  piled  on  more  wood,  and  we  gathered  close  around 
the  genial  heat.  The  sunshine  was  hot  outside,  but 
that  did  not  prevent  the  fire  from  being  most  com 
forting  and  refreshing  to  us. 

As  soon  as  the  kettle  began  to  simmer,  up  jumped 
Mrs.  Aleshiue.  A  sugar-bowl  and  some  cups  were 
placed  upon  a  table,  and  in  a  short  time  we  were 
cheered  and  invigorated  by  hot  tea,  biscuits,  and 
sardines. 

"This  is  n't  much  of  a  meal,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine 
apologetically,  "but  there  's  no  time  to  cook  nothin', 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MKS.  ALESHINE.  43 

and  the  sooner  we  get  off  our  wet  things  and  find 
some  beds,  the  better." 

"  If  I  can  once  get  into  bed,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  all 
I  ask  is  that  the  family  will  not  come  back  till  I  have 
had  a  good  long  nap.  After  that,  they  can  do  what 
they  please." 

We  now  went  back  to  the  house  and  ascended  the 
main  stairway,  which  led  up  to  a  large  central  hall. 

"  We  won't  go  into  the  front  rooms,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  for  we  don't  want  to  make  no  more  distur 
bance  than  we  can  help ;  but  if  we  can  find  the  smallest 
kind  of  rooms  in  the  back,  with  beds  in  'em,  it  is  all 
we  can  ask." 

The  first  chamber  we  entered  was  a  good-sized  one, 
neatly  furnished,  containing  a  bedstead  with  uncov 
ered  mattress  and  pillows.  Opening  a  closet  door, 
Mrs.  Leeks  exclaimed:  "  This  is  a  man's  room,  Mr. 
Craig,  and  you  'd  better  take  it.  Look  at  the  trousers 
and  coats !  There  's  no  bedclothes  in  here,  but  I  '11  see 
if  I  can't  find  some." 

In  a  few  minutes  she  returned,  bearing  blankets, 
sheets,  and  a  pillow-case.  With  Mrs.  Aleshine  on  one 
side  of  the  bedstead  and  Mrs.  Leeks  on  the  other,  the 
sheets  and  blankets  were  laid  with  surprising  deft 
ness  and  rapidity,  and  in  a  few  moments  I  saw  before 
me  a  most  inviting  bed. 

While  Mrs.  Aleshine  held  a  pillow  in  her  teeth  as 
she  pulled  on  the  pillow-case  with  both  hands,  Mrs. 
Leeks  looked  around  the  room  with  the  air  of  an  at 
tentive  hostess.  "I  guess  you  '11  be  comfortable,  Mr. 
Craig,"  she  said,  "and  I  advise  you  to  sleep  just  as 
long  as  you  can.  We  '11  take  the  room  on  the  other 
4 


44  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

side  of  the  hall,  but  I  'rn  first  goin'  down  to  see  if  the 
kitchen  fire  is  safe,  and  to  fasten  the  doors." 

I  offered  to  relieve  her  of  this  trouble,  but  she 
promptly  declined  my  services.  "When  it 's  rowin'  or 
swimmin',  you  can  do  it,  Mr.  Craig;  but  when  it  's 
lockin'  up  and  lookin'  to  fires,  I  '11  attend  to  that  my 
self." 

My  watch  had  stopped,  but  I  suppose  it  was  the 
middle  of  the  afternoon  when  I  went  to  bed,  and  I 
slept  steadily  until  some  hours  after  sunrise  the  next 
morning,  when  I  was  awakened  by  a  loud  knock  at 
the  door. 

''It's  time  to  get  up,"  said  the  voice  of  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"and  if  your  clothes  are  not  entirely  dry,  you  ?d  better 
see  if  there  is  n't  somethin'  in  that  closet  you  can  put 
on.  After  a  while  I  '11  make  a  big  fire  in  the  kitchen, 
and  dry  all  our  things." 

I  found  my  clothes  were  still  very  damp,  and  after 
investigating  the  contents  of  the  closet  and  bureau,  I 
was  able  to  supply  myself  with  linen  and  a  light 
summer  suit  which  fitted  me  fairly  well.  I  even  found 
socks  and  a  pair  of  slippers. 

When  I  entered  the  kitchen,  I  first  opened  wide  my 
eyes  with  delight,  and  then  I  burst  out  laughing.  Be 
fore  me  was  a  table  covered  with  a  white  cloth,  with 
plates,  cups,  and  everything  necessary  upon  it;  at  one 
end  was  a  steaming  tea-pot,  and  at  the  other  a  dish  of 
some  kind  of  hot  meat ;  and  Mrs.  Aleshiue  was  just 
taking  a  pan  of  newly  baked  biscuits  from  a  small 
iron  oven. 

"I  don't  wonder  you  laugh,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "but 
our  clothes  was  still  wet,  and  we  had  to  take  just 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  45 

what  we  could  find.  I  'm  not  in  the  habit  of  goin' 
about  in  a  white  muslin  wrapper  with  blue-ribbon 
trimmin's ;  and  as  for  Mrs.  Aleshine,  I  did  think  we  'd 
never  find  any  thin'  that  she  could  get  into  ;  but  there 
must  be  one  stout  woman  in  the  family,  for  that  yel- 
ler  frock  with  black  buttons  fits  her  well  enough, 
though  I  must  say  it 's  a  good  deal  short." 

"  I  never  thought,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  as  she  sat 
down  at  the  tea-pot,  "  that  the  heathens  had  so  many 
conveniences,  'specially  bakin'  powders  and  Dutch 
ovens.  For  my  part,  I  always  supposed  that  they 
used  their  altars  for  bakin',  when  they  was  n't  offerin' 
up  victims  on  'em." 

"Have  you  got  it  into  your  head,  Barb'ry  Aleshine," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks,  looking  up  from  the  dish  of  potted 
beef  she  was  serving,  "that  this  house  belongs  to 
common  heathen  ?  I  expect  that  most  of  the  savages 
who  live  on  these  desert  islands  has  been  converted 
by  the  missionaries,  but  they  'd  have  to  take  'em  from 
Genesis  to  Revelations  a  good  many  times  before 
they  'd  get  'em  to  the  p'int  of  havin'  force-pumps  in 
their  kitchens  and  spring-mattresses  on  their  beds. 
As  far  as  I  've  seen  this  house,  it  looks  as  if  the  fam 
ily  had  always  been  Christians,  and  probably  either 
Catholics  or  Episcopalians." 

"  On  account  of  the  cross  on  the  mantelpiece  in  our 
room,  I  suppose,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "But  whether 
they  're  given  to  idols  or  prayer-books,  I  know  they  've 
got  a  mighty  nice  house ;  and  considerin'  the  distance 
from  stores,  there  's  a  good  deal  more  in  that  pantry 
than  you  'd  expect  to  find  in  any  house  I  know  of, 
when  the  family  is  away." 


46  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

"It  is  ray  opinion,"  said  I,  "that  this  house  belongs 
to  some  rich  man,  probably  an  American  or  European 
merchant,  who  lives  on  one  of  the  large  islands,  not 
far  away,  and  who  uses  this  as  a  sort  of  summer  resi 
dence." 

"I  thought  it  was  always  summer  in  this  part  of 
the  world,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"  So  it  is  in  effect/'  I  replied,  "  but  there  are  some 
seasons  when  it  is  very  unpleasant  to  remain  in  one 
of  those  towns  which  are  found  on  the  larger  islands, 
and  so  the  owner  of  this  house  may  come  up  here 
sometimes  for  fresh  sea  air." 

"  Or,  it 's  just  as  like,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  that  he 
lives  somewhere  up  in  the  iceberg  regions,  and  comes 
here  to  spend  his  winters.  It  would  do  just  as  well. 
But,  whichever  way  it  is,  I  can't  help  thinkin'  it 's  care 
less  not  to  leave  somebody  in  the  house  to  take  care 
of  it.  Why,  for  all  the  family  would  know  about  it, 
tramps  might  break  in  and  stay  as  long  as  they  like." 

"That  's  just  what  's  happenin'  now,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "and  for  my  part  I  ain't  goin'  to  find  no  fault. 
I  don't  suppose  the  people  would  have  been  so  hard 
hearted  as  to  turn  us  away  from  their  doors,  but  I  've 
seen  enough  of  folks  in  this  world  not  to  be  too  sure 
about  that." 

"  How  do  you  suppose,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  address 
ing  me,  "that  the  family  gets  here  and  goes  back! 
Do  they  keep  a  private  steamboat  ? " 

"  Of  course  they  have  a  private  vessel  of  some 
kind,"  I  answered,  "  probably  a  yacht.  It  is  quite 
certain  that  ordinary  steamers  never  touch  here." 

"  If  that 's  the  case,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  all  we  can 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  47 

do  is  to  wait  here  till  they  come,  arid  get  them  to  send 
us  away  in  their  ship.  But  whether  they  've  just 
gone  or  are  just  a-comin'  back  depends,  I  suppose, 
on  whether  they  live  in  a  freezin'  or  a  burnin'  country, 
and  if  they  don't  like  our  bein'  here  when  they  come 
back,  there  's  one  thing  they  can  make  up  their  minds 
to,  and  that  is  that  I  'in  never  goin'  to  leave  this  place 
on  a  life-preserver." 

"Nor  me  nuther,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  finishing, 
\\lth  much  complacency,  her  third  cup  of  tea. 

When  breakfast  was  over,  Mrs.  Leeks  pushed  back 
her  chair,  but  did  not  immediately  rise.  With  an  ex 
pression  of  severe  thought  upon  her  face,  she  gazed 
steadfastly  before  her  for  a  minute,  and  then  she 
addressed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  had  begun  to  gather 
together  the  cups  and  the  plates.  "Now,  Barb'ry 
Aleshine,"  said  she,  "  don't  you  begin  to  clear  off  the 
table,  nor  touch  a  single  thing  to  wash  it  up,  till  we  Ve 
been  over  this  house.  I  want  to  do  it  now,  before  Mr. 
Craig  goes  out  to  prospect  around  and  see  what  else  is 
on  the  island,  which,  I  suppose,  he  '11  be  wantin'  to  do." 

I  replied  that  I  had  that  intention,  but  I  was  quite 
willing  to  go  over  the  house  first. 

"  It 's  come  to  me,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  speaking  very 
gravely,  "  that  it 's  no  use  for  us  to  talk  of  the  family 
bein'  here  or  bein'  there,  till  we  've  gone  over  this 
house.  If  we  find  that  they  have,  as  far  as  we  know, 
gone  away  in  good  health  and  spirits,  that 's  all  well 
enough ;  but  if  anything  's  happened  in  this  house,  I 
don't  want  to  be  here  with  what 's  happened  —  at 
least  without  knowin'  it ;  and  when  we  do  go  over 
the  house,  I  want  a  man  to  go  with  us." 


48  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

"  If  you  'd  talked  that  way  last  night,  Mrs.  Leeks/' 
exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  I  'd  never  slept  till  after 
sun-up,  and  then  got  up  and  gone  huntiii'  round 
among  them  frocks  and  petticoats  to  find  somethin' 
that  would  fit  me,  with  the  quiet  pulse  I  did  have, 
Mrs.  Locks  ! " 

To  this  remark  Mrs.  Leeks  made  no  reply"  but,  ris 
ing,  she  led  the  way  out  of  the  kitchen  and  into  the 
house. 

The  rooms  on  the  first  floor  were  very  well  fur 
nished.  There  was  a  large  parlor,  and  back  of  it  a 
study  or  library ;  while,  on  the  other  side  of  the  hall, 
was  a  dining-room,  and  an  apartment  probably  used 
as  a  family  room.  We  found  nothing  in  these  which 
would  indicate  that  anything  untoward  had  happened 
in  them.  Then  we  went  up-stairs,  I  leading  the  way, 
Mrs.  Leeks  following,  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  in  the  rear. 
We  first  entered  one  of  the  front  chambers,  which  was 
quite  dark,  but  Mrs.  Leeks  unfastened  and  threw  open 
a  shutter.  Then,  with  a  rigid  countenance  and  de 
termined  mien,  she  examined  every  part  of  the  room, 
looked  into  every  closet,  and  even  under  the  bed.  It 
was  quite  plain  that  it  was  in  one  of  the  chambers 
that  she  expected  to  find  what  had  happened,  if  any 
thing  had  happened. 

The  room  on  the.other  side  of  the  hall  was  very  like 
the  one  we  first  examined,  except  that  it  had  two  beds 
in  it.  We  next  visited  the  chamber  recently  occu 
pied  by  my  two  companions,  which  was  now  under 
going  the  process  of  "  airing." 

"  We  need  n't  stop  here,"  remarked  Mrs.  Aleshiue. 
But  Mrs.  Leeks  instantly  replied,  "  Indeed,  we  will 
stop  ;  I  'm  going  to  look  under  the  bed." 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  49 

"  Merciful  me  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  putting 
her  hand  on  her  friend's  shoulder.  "  Supposin'  you 
should  find  something  and  we  sleepin'  here  last  night ! 
It  curdles  me  to  think  of  it ! " 

11  It 's  my  duty/'  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  severely,  "  and  I 
shall  do  it." 

And  do  it  she  did,  rising  from  the  task  with  a  sigh 
of  relief. 

My  room  was  subjected  to  the  same  scrutiny  as  the 
others ;  and  then  we  visited  some  smaller  rooms  at  the 
extreme  back  of  the  house,  which  we  had  not  before 
noticed.  A  garret,  or  loft,  was  reached  by  a  steep 
stairway  in  one  of  these  rooms,  and  into  its  dusky 
gloom  I  ventured  by  myself. 

"Now,  don't  come  down,  Mr.  Craig,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  till  you  're  sure  there 's  nothin'  there.  Of  all 
places  in  the  house  that  cockloft,  after  all,  is  the  most 
likely." 

I  had  none  of  the  fears  which  seemed  to  actuate 
the  two  women,  but  I  had  a  very  unpleasant  time  of 
it,  groping  about  in  the  darkness  and  heat,  and,  as 
the  place  was  only  partly  floored,  running  the  con 
tinual  risk  of  crashing  down  through  the  lath  and 
plaster.  I  made  myself  quite  sure,  however,  that 
nothing  had  happened  in  that  loft  unless  some  one 
had  suffocated  there,  and  had  dried  up  and  become 
the  dust  which  I  raised  at  every  step. 

"  Now,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  when  I  descended, 
"  as  there  is  no  cellar,  we  '11  go  wash  up  the  breakfast 
things;  and  if  you  want  to  take  a  walk,  to  see  if  there's 
any  genuwine  heathens  or  anybody  else  a-livin'  in  this 
island,  we  're  not  afraid  to  be  left  alone." 

For  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  the  morning  I  wan- 


50  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

dered  about  the  island.  I  investigated  the  paths  that 
I  had  before  noticed,  and  found  that  each  of  them  led, 
after  a  moderate  walk,  to  some  wide  and  pleasant  part 
of  the  beach.  At  one  of  these  points  I  found  a  rustic 
bench ;  and,  stuffed  in  between  two  of  the  slats  which 
formed  the  seat,  I  found  a  book.  It  had  been  sadly 
wet  and  discolored  by  rain,  and  dried  and  curled  up 
by  the  wind  and  sun.  I  pulled  it  out  and  found  it  to 
be  a  novel  in  French.  On  one  of  the  fly-leaves  was 
written  "  Emily."  Reasoning  from  the  dilapidated 
appearance  of  this  book,  I  began  to  believe  that  the 
family  must  have  left  this  place  some  time  ago,  and 
that,  therefore,  their  return  might  be  expected  at  a 
proportionately  early  period.  On  second  thoughts, 
however,  I  considered  that  the  state  of  this  book  was 
of  little  value  as  testimony.  A  few  hours  of  storm, 
wind,  and  sun  might  have  inflicted  all  the  damage  it 
had  sustained.  The  two  women  would  be  better  able 
to  judge  by  the  state  of  the  house  and  the  condition 
of  the  provisions  how  long  the  family  had  been  away. 

I  now  started  out  on  a  walk  along  the  beach,  and  in 
little  more  than  an  hour  I  had  gone  entirely  around 
the  island.  Nowhere  did  I  see  any  sign  of  habitation 
or  occupation,  except  at  the  house  which  had  given  us 
shelter,  nor  any  opening  through  the  surrounding 
reef,  except  the  barred  passageway  through  which 
we  had  come. 

When  I  returned  to  the  house,  I  found  that  Mrs. 
Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  had  been  hard  at  work  all 
the  morning.  They  had,  so  to  speak,  gone  regularly 
and  systematically  to  housekeeping,  and  had  already 
divided  the  labors  of  the  establishment  between  them. 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  51 

Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  prided  herself  011  her  skill  in  culi 
nary  matters,  was  to  take  charge  of  the  cooking, 
while  Mrs.  Leeks  assumed  the  care  of  the  various 
rooms  and  the  general  management  of  the  household. 
This  arrangement  was  explained  to  me  at  length;  and 
when  I  remarked  that  all  this  seemed  to  indicate  that 
they  expected  to  remain  here  for  a  long  time,  Mrs. 
Leeks  replied : 

"  In  my  part  of  the  country  I  could  tell  pretty  close, 
by  the  dust  on  the  tables  and  on  the  top  of  the  plan 
ner,  how  long  a  family  had  been  out  of  a  house;  but 
dust  iii  Pennsylvany  and  dust  on  a  sea  island,  where 
there  's  no  wagons  nor  carriages,  is  quite  different. 
This  house  has  been  left  in  very  good  order,  and 
though  the  windows  wants  washing  and  the  floors  and 
stairs  brushiii', —  which  will  be  easy  consideriu'  that 
none  of  'em  has  carpets, —  and  everything  in  the  house 
a  reg'lar  cleanin'  up  and  airiri',  it  may  be  that  the 
family  has  n't  been  gone  away  very  long,  and  so  it 
may  be  a  good  while  before  they  come  back  again. 
Mrs.  Aleshiue  and  me  has  talked  it  all  over,  and  we  've 
made  up  our  minds  that  the  right  thing  to  do  is  just 
to  go  along  and  attend  to  things  as  if  we  was  a-goin' 
to  stay  here  for  a  month  or  two ;  and  it  may  be  even 
longer  than  that  before  the  people  come  back.  And 
I  don't  think  they  '11  have  anything  to  complain  of 
when  they  find  their  house  in  apple-pie  order,  their 
windows  washed,  their  floors  clean,  and  not  a  speck  of 
dust  anywhere." 

"For  my  part,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "I  don't  see 
what  they  've  got  to  find  fault  with,  anyway.  I  look 
on  this  as  part  of  the  passage.  To  be  sure,  we  ain't 


52  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OP 

movin'  a  bit  on  our  way  to  Japan,  but  that 's  not  my 
fault,  nor  yet  yours,  Mrs.  Leeks,  nor  yours,  Mr.  Craig. 
We  paid  our  passage  to  go  to  Japan,  and  if  the  ship 
was  steered  wrong  and  got  sunk,  we  had  n't  anything 
to  do  with  it.  We  did  n't  want  to  come  here,  but 
here  we  are,  and  I  'd  like  to  know  who  's  got  any 
right  to  find  fault  with  us." 

"And  bein'  here,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  we  '11  take  care 
of  the  things." 

"As  far  as  I  'm  concerned,''  added  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"if  this  island  was  movin'  on  to  Japan,  I  'd  a  great 
deal  rather  be  on  it  than  on  that  ship,  where,  to  my 
way  of  thinkin',  they  did  n't  know  much  more  about 
housekeepin'  than  they  did  about  steerin'." 

"I  think  your  plans  and  arrangements  are  very 
good,"  I  said.  "  But  how  about  the  provisions  ?  Are 
there  enough  to  hold  out  for  any  time  ?  " 

"  There  's  pretty  nigh  a  barrel  of  flour,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  ''a  good  deal  of  tea  and  coffee  and  sugar, 
and  lots  of  things  in  tins  and  jars.  There 's  a  kind  of 
cellar  outside  where  they  keep  things  cool,  and  there 's 
more  than  half  a  keg  of  butter  down  there.  It 's  too 
strong  to  use,  but  I  can  take  that  butter  and  wash  it 
out,  and  work  it  over,  and  salt  it,  and  make  it  just  as 
good  butter  as  any  we  got  on  board  the  ship." 

"But,"  said  I,  "you  have  given  me  nothing  to  do. 
I  shall  not  be  content  to  stand  about  idle  and  see  you 
do  all  the  work." 

"There  's  nothin'  in  the  house,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"  which  you  need  put  your  hand  to ;  but,  if  you  choose 
to  go  out  into  that  garden,  and  see  if  there 's  anything 
can  be  done  in  it,  or  got  out  of  it, —  that  is,  if  you 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  53 

know  anything  about  garden  work, —  I  'm  sure  we  'd 
be  very  glad  of  any  fresh  vegetables  we  could  get." 

I  replied  that  I  had  been  accustomed  to  garden  work 
in  an  amateur  way,  and  would  be  glad  to  do  anything 
that  was  possible  in  that  direction. 

"  I  never  seed  into  that  garden/'  said  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  but  of  all  the  foolish  things  that  ever  came  under  my 
eye,  the  buildin'  a  wall  around  a  garden,  when  a  pale- 
fence  would  do  just  as  well,  is  the  foolishest." 

I  explained  that  in  these  countries  it  was  the  fashion 
to  use  walls  instead  of  fences. 

"If  it  }s  the  fashion,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "I  sup 
pose  there 's  no  use  savin'  anything  agiu  it ;  but  if  the 
fashion  should  happen  to  change,  they  'd  find  it  a  good 
deal  easier  to  take  down  a  barbed- wire  fence  than  a 
stone  wall." 

This  conversation  took  place  in  the  large  lower  hall, 
which  Mrs.  Leeks  had  been  "putting  to  rights,"  and 
where  Mrs.  Aleshine  had  just  entered  from  the  kitchen. 
Mrs.  Leeks  now  sat  down  upon  a  chair,  and,  dust-cloth 
in  hand,  she  thus  addressed  me : 

"  There  's  another  thing,  Mr.  Craig,  that  me  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine  has  been  talkin'  about.  We  have  n't 
made  up  our  minds  about  it,  because  we  did  n't  think 
it  was  fair  and  right  to  do  that  before  speakin'  to  you, 
and  hearin'  what  you  had  to  say  on  one  side  or  another 
of  it.  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  me  has  had  to  bow  our  heads 
to  afflictions,  and  to  walkin'  sometimes  in  roads  we 
did  n't  want  to,  but  we  've  remembered  the  ways  in 
which  we  was  brought  up,  and  have  kept  in  them  as 
far  as  we  Ve  been  able.  When  our  husbands  died, 
leavin'  Mrs.  Aleshine  with  a  son,  and  me  without  any, 


54  THE   CASTING  AWAY  OF 

which,  perhaps,  is  just  as  well,  for  there  's  no  knowin' 
how  he  might  have  turned  out " 

"That  ?s  so,"  interrupted  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "for  he 
might  have  gone  as  a  clerk  to  Roosher,  and  then  you 
and  me  would  'a'  had  to  travel  different  ways." 

"And  when  our  husbands  died,"  continued  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  they  left  us  enough,  and  plenty,  to  live  on, 
and  we  was  n't  the  women  to  forget  them  and  their 
ways  of  thinkin',  any  more  than  we  'd  forget  the  ways 
of  our  fathers  and  mothers  before  us.r 

"  That 's  so  !  "  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  fervently. 

"  And  now,  Mr.  Craig,"  continued  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  we 
don't  know  how  you've  been  brought  up,  nor  any 
thing  about  you,  in  fact,  except  that  you  've  been  as 
kind  to  us  as  if  you  was  some  sort  of  kin,  and  that 
we  never  would  have  thought  of  comin'  here  without 
you:  and  so  me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  has  agreed  to  leave 
this  whole  matter  to  you,  and  to  do  just  as  you  say. 
When  us  two  started  out  on  this  long  journey,  we 
did  n't  expect  to  find  it  what  you  call  the  path  of 
roses,  and,  dear  only  knows,  we  have  n't  found  it  so." 

"  That's  true  !  "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  And  what  we  've  had  to  put  up  with,"  continued 
Mrs.  Leeks,  "  we  have  put  up  with.  And  so,  Mr.  Craig, 
whether  you  say  dinner  in  the  middle  of  the  day  at 
twelve,  as  we  've  always  been  used  to,  or  at  six  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  as  they  had  it  on  board  that  ship 
—  and  how  people  ever  come  to  turn  their  meals  hind 
part  foremost  in  that  way,  I  can't  say — we  are  goin' 
to  do  it ;  and  if  you  've  been  brought  up  to  six  o'clock, 
you  won't  hear  no  complainin'  from  us,  think  what 
we  may." 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  55 

I  was  on  the  point  of  laughing  aloud  at  the  conclu 
sion  of  this  speech,  but  a  glance  at  the  serious  faces 
of  the  two  women,  who,  with  so  much  earnest  solici 
tude,  awaited  my  reply,  stopped  me,  and  I  hastened 
to  assure  them  that  dinner  in  the  middle  of  the  day 
would  be  entirely  in  accordance  with  my  every  wish. 

"  G-ood  !  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  her  eyes  spark 
ling  amid  the  plumpness  of  her  face,  while  an  expres 
sion  of  calm  relief  passed  over  the  features  of  Mrs. 
Leeks. 

"And  now  I'll  be  off  and  get  us  somethin'  to  eat  in 
less  than  no  time,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  We  did  n't 
know  whether  to  make  it  lunch  or  dinner  till  we  had 
seen  you ;  so  you  can't  expect  much  to-day,  but  to 
morrow  we  '11  begin,  and  have  everything  straight 
and  comfortable.  I  'm  goin'  to  get  tip  early  in  the 
mornin'  and  bake  a  batch  of  bread  ;  and  you  need  n't 
be  afraid,  Mr.  Craig,  but  what  I  '11  have  you  a  bit  of 
hot  meat  every  night  for  your  supper." 

In  the  afternoon  we  all  visited  the  garden,  which, 
although  a  good  deal  overgrown  with  luxuriant 
weeds,  showed  marks  of  fair  cultivation.  Some  of 
the  beds  had  been  cleared  out  and  left  to  the  weeds, 
and  we  found  some  "  garden  truck,"  as  my  com 
panions  called  it,  with  which  we  were  not  familiar. 
But  there  were  tomato  vines  loaded  with  fruit,  plenty 
of  beans  of  various  kinds,  and  a  large  patch  of  pota 
toes,  many  of  which  had  been  dug. 

From  the  lower  end  of  the  garden,  Mrs.  Aleshine 
gave  a  shout  of  delight.  We  went  to  her,  and  found 
her  standing  before  a  long  asparagus  bed. 

"  Well ! "  she  exclaimed.    "  If  there 's  anything  that 


56  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

settles  it  firm  in  my  mind  that  these  people  is  Chris 
tians,  it 's  this  bed  of  grass.  I  don't  believe  there  ever 
was  heathens  that  growed  grass." 

"  I  thought  that  was  all  settled  when  we  found  the 
bakin'  powders,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"But  this  clinches  it,"  answered  her  companion. 
"I  can't  tell  from  a  sparrowgrass  bed  what  church 
they  belong  to,  but  they  're  no  idolaters." 

The  next  morning  I  delivered  to  the  genial  Mrs. 
Aleshine  a  large  basket  full  of  fresh  vegetables,  and 
we  had  a  most  excellent  dinner.  Somewhat  to  my 
surprise,  the  table  was  not  set  in  the  kitchen,  but  in 
the  dining-room. 

"  Me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  have  made  up  our  minds," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks,  in  explanation,  "that  it  's  not  the 
proper  thing  for  you  to  be  eatin'  in  the  kitchen,  nor 
for  us  neither.  Here  's  table-cloths,  and  good  glass 
and  china,  and  spoons  and  forks,  which,  although 
they  're  not  solid  silver,  are  plated  good  enough  for 
anybody.  Neither  you  nor  us  is  servants,  and  a 
kitchen  is  no  place  for  us." 

"That's  so!"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "We  paid  our 
money  for  first-class  passages,  and  it  was  understood 
that  we  'd  have  everything  as  good  as  anybody." 

"Which  I  don't  see  as  that  has  anything  to  do  with 
it,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "for  the  steam 
ship  people  don't  generally  throw  in  desert  islands  as 
part  of  the  accommodation." 

"  We  did  n't  ask  for  the  island,"  retorted  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "and  if  they  'd  steered  the  ship  right,  we 
should  n't  have  wanted  it." 

When  we  had  finished  our  dinner,  Mrs.  Leeks  pushed 


MRS.  LECKS  AND   MES.  ALESHINE.  57 

back  her  chair,  and  sat  for  a  few  moments  in  thought, 
as  was  her  wont  before  saying  anything  of  importance. 

"  There  's  another  thing,"  said  she,  "  that  I  've  been 
thinkin'  about,  though  I  have  n't  spoke  of  it  yet,  even 
to  Mrs.  Aleshine.  We  have  n't  no  right  to  come  here 
and  eat  up  the  victuals  and  use  the  things  of  the  peo 
ple  that  own  this  house,  without  pay  in'  for  'em.  Of 
course,  we  're  not  goin'  to  sleep  011  the  bare  ground 
and  starve  to  death  while  there  's  beds  and  food  close 
to  our  hands.  But  if  we  use  'em  and  take  it,  we  ought 
to  pay  the  people  that  the  place  belongs  to  —  that  is, 
if  we  Ve  got  the  money  to  do  it  with ;  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shiue  and  me  has  got  the  money.  When  we  went 
down  into  our  cabin  to  get  ready  to  leave  the  ship,  the 
first  thing  we  did  was  to  put  our  purses  in  our  pockets, 
and  we  've  both  got  drafts  wrapped  up  in  oil  silk,  and 
sewed  inside  our  f  rock -bodies ;  and  if  you  did  n't  think 
to  bring  your  money  along  with  you,  Mr.  Craig,  we 
can  lend  you  all  you  need." 

I  thanked  her  for  her  offer,  but  stated  that  I  had 
brought  with  me  all  my  money. 

"  Now,"  continued  Mrs.  Leeks,  "it 's  my  opinion  that 
we  ought  to  pay  our  board  regular  every  week.  I 
don't  know  what  is  commonly  charged  in  a  place  like 
this,  but  I  know  you  can  get  very  good  board  where  I 
come  from  for  six  dollars  a  week." 

"That  is  for  two  in  a  room,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine; 
"but  havin'  a  room  to  himself  would  make  it  more  for 
Mr.  Craig." 

"  It  ain't  his  fault,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  somewhat  se 
verely,  "that  he  ain't  got  a  brother  or  some  friend  to 
take  part  of  the  room  and  pay  part  of  the  expense. 


58  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

But,  anyway,  the  room  is  n't  a  large  one,  and  I  don't 
think  he  ought  to  pay  much  more  for  having  a  room 
to  himself.  Seven  dollars  is  quite  enough." 

"  But  then  you  've  got  to  consider,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "that  we  do  the  cookin'  and  housework,  and 
that  ought  to  be  counted." 

"I  was  comin'  to  that,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "Now,  if 
me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  was  to  go  out  to  service,  which 
you  may  be  sure  we  would  n't  do  unless  circumstances 
was  very  different  from  what  they  are  now " 

"That's  true!"  earnestly  ejaculated  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  But  if  we  was  to  do  it,"  continued  Mrs.  Leeks,  "we 
would  n't  go  into  anybody's  family  for  less  than  two 
dollars  a  week.  Now,  I  've  always  heard  that  wages 
is  low  in  this  part  of  the  world,  and  the  work  is  n't 
heavy  for  two  of  us;  and  so,  considering  the  family 
is  n't  here  to  make  their  own  bargain,  I  think  we  'd 
better  put  our  wages  at  that,  so  that  '11  make  four 
dollars  a  week  for  each  of  us  two  to  pay." 

"But  how  about  Mr.  Craig?"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine. 
"  He  ought  n't  to  work  in  that  garden  for  nothin'." 

"Fifty  cents  a  day,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "is  as  little 
jis  any  man  would  work  for,  and  then  it  ought  n't  to 
take  all  his  time.  That  will  make  three  dollars  to 
take  out  of  Mr.  Craig's  board,  and  leave  it  four  dol 
lars  a  week,  the  same  as  ours." 

I  declared  myself  perfectly  satisfied  with  these  ar 
rangements,  but  Mrs.  Aleshine  did  -not  seem  to  be 
altogether  convinced  that  they  were  just. 

"When  a  woman  goes  out  to  service,"  said  she,  "she 
gets  her  board  and  is  paid  wages  besides,  and  it 's  the 
same  for  gardeners." 


MKS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  59 

"Then  I  suppose,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  that  we  ought  to  charge  these  people  with 
our  wages,  and  make  'em  pay  it  when  they  come 
back ! " 

This  remark  apparently  disposed  of  Mrs.  Aleshine's 
objections,  and  her  friend  continued  :  "  There  's  a  jar 
on  the  mantelpiece  there,  of  the  kind  the  East  Indy 
ginger  comes  in.  It's  got  nothin'in  it  now  but  some 
brown  paper  in  which  fish-hooks  is  wrapped.  We 
came  here  on  a  Wednesday,  and  so  every  Tuesday 
night  we  '11  each  put  four  dollars  in  that  jar,  under 
the  fish-hook  paper ;  and  then  if,  by  night  or  by  day, 
the  family  comes  back  and  makes  a  fuss  about  our 
bein'  here,  all  we  have  to  say  is,  '  The  board  money 's  in 
the  ginger-jar,'  and  our  consciences  is  free." 

Mrs.  Lecks's  plan  was  adopted  as  a  very  just  and 
proper  one,  and  at  the  expiration  of  the  week  we  each 
deposited  four  dollars  in  the  ginger- jar. 

While  occupying  this  house  I  do  not  think  that  any 
of  us  endeavored  to  pry  into  the  private  concerns  of 
the  family  who  owned  it,  although  we  each  had  a 
very  natural  curiosity  to  know  something  about  said 
family.  Opportunities  of  acquiring  such  knowledge, 
however,  were  exceedingly  scarce.  Even  if  we  had 
been  willing  to  look  into  such  receptacles,  the  several 
desks  and  secretaries  that  the  house  contained  were 
all  locked;  and  nowhere  could  Mrs.  Leeks  or  Mrs. 
Aleshine  find  an  old  letter  or  piece  of  wrapping-paper 
with  an  address  on  it.  I  explained  to  my  companions 
that  letters  and  packages  were  not  likely  to  come  to 
a  place  like  this,  but  they  kept  a  sharp  lookout  for 
anything  of  the  kind,  asserting  that  there  could  be  no 


60  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

possible  harm  in  reading  the  names  of  the  people 
whose  house  they  were  in. 

In  some  of  the  books  in  the  library,  which  were 
English  and  French  in  about  equal  proportions,  with 
a  few  volumes  in  German,  I  found  written  on  the 
blank  pages  the  names  "Emily"  and  "Lucille,"'  and 
across  the  title-pages  of  some  French  histories  was 
inscribed,  in  a  man's  hand,  "A.  Dusante."  We  dis 
cussed  these  names,  but  could  not  make  up  our  minds 
whether  the  family  was  French  or  English.  For  in 
stance,  there  was  no  reason  why  an  Englishwoman 
might  not  be  called  Lucille,  and  even  such  a  surname 
as  Dusante  was  not  uncommon  either  among  English 
or  Americans.  The  labels  on  the  boxes  and  tins  of 
provisions  showed  that  most  of  them  came  from  San 
Francisco,  but  this  was  likely  to  be  the  case,  no  matter 
what  the  nationality  of  the  family. 

The  question  of  the  relationship  of  the  three  per 
sons,  of  whose  existence  we  had  discovered  traces,  was 
a  very  interesting  one  to  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  I  can't  make  up  my  mind,"  said  the  latter,  "whether 
Emily  is  the  mother  of  Lucille  or  her  daughter,  or 
whether  they  are  both  children  of  Mr.  Dusante,  or 
whether  he  's  married  to  Lucille  and  Emily  is  his 
sister-in-law,  or  whether  she  's  his  sister  and  not' hers, 
or  whether  he  's  the  uncle  and  they  're  his  nieces,  or 
whether  Emily  is  an  old  lady  and  Mr.  Dusante  and 
Lucille  are  both  her  children,  or  whether  they  are  two 
maiden  ladies  and  Mr.  Dusante  is  their  brother,  or 
whether  Mr.  Dusante  is  only  a  friend  of  the  family, 
and  boards  here  because  no  two  women  ought  to  live 
in  such  a  lonely  place  without  a  man  in  the  house." 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  61 

"  Well,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  whether  Mr.  Dusante 
comes  back  with  two  nieces,  or  a  wife  and  daughter, 
or  Mrs.  Dusante  and  a  mother-in-law,  or  a  pair  of 
sisters,  all  we  Ve  got  to  say  is,  '  The  board  money  's 
in  the  ginger-jar/  and  let  'em  do  their  worst." 

In  my  capacity  as  gardener  I  do  not  think  I  earned 
the  wages  which  my  companions  had  allotted  to  me, 
for  I  merely  gathered  and  brought  in  such  fruits  and 
vegetables  as  I  found  in  proper  condition  for  use.  In 
other  ways,  however,  I  made  my  services  valuable  to 
our  little  family.  In  a  closet  in  my  chamber  I  found 
guns  and  ammunition,  and  I  was  frequently  able  to 
bring  in  a  few  birds.  Some  of  these  were  pronounced 
by  Mrs.  Aleshine  unsuitable  for  the  table,  but  others 
she  cooked  with  much  skill,  and  they  were  found  to 
be  very  good  eating. 

Not  far  from  the  little  wharf  which  has  been  men 
tioned  there  stood,  concealed  by  amass  of  low-growing 
palms,  a  boat-house  in  which  was  a  little  skiff  hung 
up  near  the  roof.  This  I  let  down  and  launched,  and 
found  great  pleasure  in  rowing  it  about  the  lagoon. 
There  was  fishing-tackle  in  the  boat-house,  which 
I  used  with  success,  the  lagoon  abounding  in  fish. 
Offerings  of  this  kind  were  much  more  acceptable  to 
Mrs.  Aleshine  than  birds. 

u  There  's  some  kinds  of  fishes  that  's  better  than 
others,"  said  she,  "but,  as  a  gen'ral  rule,  a  fish  is  a 
fish,  and  if  you  catch  'em  you  can  eat  'em ;  but  it 's  a 
very  different  thing  with  birds.  When  you  've  never 
seen  'em  before,  how  are  you  goiu'  to  tell  but  what 
they  're  some  kin  to  an  owl,  a  pigeon-hawk,  or  a  crow? 
And  if  I  once  get  it  into  my  head  that  there  's  any  of 


62  THE   CASTING  AWAY  OF 

that  kind  of  family  blood  in  'em,  they  disagree  with 
ine  just  the  same  as  if  there  really  was." 

One  afternoon,  as  I  was  returning  in  the  boat  from 
the  point  on  the  other  side  of  the  island,  where  I  had 
found  the  rustic  seat  and  Emily's  book,  I  was  sur 
prised  to  see  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  standing 
on  the  end  of  the  little  wharf.  This  was  an  unusual 
thing  for  them  to  do,  as  they  were  very  industrious 
women  and  seldom  had  an  idle  moment ;  and  it  seemed 
to  be  one  of  their  greatest  pleasures  to  discuss  the 
work  they  were  going  to  do  when  they  had  finished 
that  on  which  they  were  then  engaged.  I  was  curious, 
therefore,  to  know  why  they  should  be  standing  thus 
idly  on  the  wharf,  and  pulled  toward  them  as  rapidly 
as  possible. 

When  I  had  rowed  near  enough  to  hear  them,  Mrs. 
Aleshine  remarked  with  cheerful  placidity : 

"  The  Dusantes  are  comin'." 

The  tide  was  quite  low,  and  I  could  not  see  over  the 
reef;  but  in  a  few  moments  I  had  grounded  the  skiff 
and  had  sprung  upon  the  wharf.  Out  on  the  ocean, 
about  a  mile  away,  I  saw  a  boat,  apparently  a  large 
one,  approaching  the  island. 

"Now,  then,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"  you  '11  soon  see  whether  it  's  his  two  nieces,  or  his 
daughters,  wife  and  sister-in-law,  or  whatever  of  them 
other  relationships  which  you  've  got  so  pat." 

"  Yes."  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  but  what 's  more,  we  '11 
find  out  if  he  's  goin'  to  be  satisfied  with  the  board 
money  we  've  put  in  the  ginger-jar." 


PART  m 

HEX  the  boat  which  we  saw  ap- 
proaehing  the  island  had  come  near 
enough  for  us  to  distinguish  its 
occupants,  we  found  that  it  con 
tained  five  persons.  Three  sat  in 

the   stern,   and   two  were   rowing. 

Of  those  in  the  stem,  we  soon  made  out  one  to  be  a 
woman;  and,  after  putting  our  eyesight  to  its  very 
best  efforts,  we  were  obliged  to  admit  that  there  was 
only  one  female  on  board. 

••  Now,  that  's  disapp'iutin."  said  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"for  I  Ve  wondered  and  wondered  which  I  should 
like  best,  Emily  or  Lucille  :  and  now  that  only  one  of 
'em  has  come,  of  course  I  can't  tell." 

The  boat  came  on,  almost  directly  toward  the  pas 
sageway  in  the  reef,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the 
two  women  had  been  able  to  decide  that  Mr.  Dusaute 
was  an  elderly  man,  and  that  the  lady  was  moder 
ately  young,  and  in  all  probability  his  daughter. 

"  It  may  be,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshiue.  "  that  the  mother, 
whether  she  was  Emily,  or  whether  she  was  Lucille, 
has  died,  and  for  that  reason  they  are  comin'  back 
sooner  than  they  expected/' 


64  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

"Well,  I  hope  you  're  wrong  there,  Barb'ry  Ale- 
shine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  for  they  '11  see  lots  of  things 
here  that  will  freshen  up  their  affliction,  and  that 
won't  make  'em  any  too  lively  people  to  be  with." 

"  On  the  other  hand,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  it  may 
be  that  Emily,  or  else  Lucille,  has  got  married,  and 
has  gone  away  with  her  husband  to  travel,  and  by  the 
time  she 's  got  a  little  baby  she  '11  come  here  to  live  on 
account  of  the  sea  air  for  the  child;  and  that  '11  make 
the  house  pleasant,  Mrs.  Leeks." 

"  I  'd  like  to  know  how  long  you  expect  to  live  here," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks,  regarding  her  friend  with  some 
severity. 

"That 's  not  for  me  to  say,"  replied  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  knowin'  nothin'  about  it.  But  this  I  will  say,  that 
I  hope  they  have  brought  along  with  them  some 
indigo-blue,  for  I  nearly  used  up  all  there  was  the 
last  time  I  washed." 

During  this  dialogue  I  had  been  thinking  that  it 
was  a  very  strange  thing  for  the  owners  of  this  place 
to  visit  their  island  in  such  a  fashion.  "Why  should 
they  be  in  an  open  boat  ?  And  where  did  they  come 
from?  Wherever  they  might  live,  it  was  not  at  all 
probable  that  they  would  choose  to  be  rowed  from 
that  point  to  this.  From  the  general  character  and 
appointments  of  the  house  in  which  we  had  found  a 
refuge,  it  was  quite  plain  that  its  owners  were  peo 
ple  in  good  circumstances,  who  were  in  the  habit  of 
attending  to  their  domestic  affairs  in  a  very  orderly 
and  proper  way.  It  was  to  be  presumed  that  it  was 
their  custom  to  come  here  in  a  suitable  vessel,  and 
to  bring  with  them  the  stores  needed  during  their 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  65 

intended  stay.  Now,  there  was  little  or  nothing  in 
that  boat ;  and,  on  the  whole,  I  did  not  believe  it  con 
tained  the  owners  of  this  island. 

It  would  not  do,  however,  to  assume  anything  of 
the  kind.  There  might  have  been  a  disaster ;  in  fact, 
I  knew  nothing  about  it;  and  it  was  my  immediate 
duty  to  go  and  meet  these  people  at  the  passage ;  for, 
if  they  were  unable  to  unlock  the  bars,  their  boat 
could  not  enter,  and  I  must  ferry  them  across  the 
lagoon.  Without  communicating  my  doubts  to  my 
companions,  I  hurried  into  the  skiff,  and  pulled  as  far 
as  possible  into  the  passage  through  the  reef.  The 
bars,  of  which  there  were  more  than  I  at  first  sup 
posed,  were  so  arranged  that  it  was  impossible  for  a 
boat  to  go  in  or  out  at  any  stage  of  the  tide. 

I  had  been  there  but  a  few  minutes  when  the  boat 
from  without  came  slowly  in  between  the  rocks ;  and 
almost  as  soon  as  I  saw  it,  its  progress  was  suddenly 
stopped  by  a  sunken  bar. 

"  Hello  !  "  cried  several  men  at  once. 

"  Hello !  "  cried  I,  in  return.  "  Have  you  the  key 
to  these  bars '?  " 

A  stout  man  with  a  red  beard  stood  up  in  the  stern. 
"  Key  ?  "  said  he,  "  what  key  ? " 

"Then  you  do  not  belong  here?"  said  I.  "Who 
are  you  ? " 

At  this,  the  gentleman  who  was  sitting  by  the  lady 
arose  to  his  feet.  He  was  a  man  past  middle  age, 
rather  tall  and  slim,  and  when  he  stood  up  the  slight 
rolling  of  the  boat  made  him  stagger,  and  he  came 
near  falling. 

"  You'd  better  sit  down,  sir,"  said  the  man  with  the 


66  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

red  beard,  who  I  saw  was  a  sailor.  "  You  can  talk 
better  that  way." 

The  gentleman  now  seated  himself,  and  thus  ad 
dressed  me : 

"  I  am,  sir,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Enderton,  lately 
missionary  to  Nanfouchong,  China;  and  this  is  my 
daughter,  Miss  Enderton.  We  are  returning  to  the 
United  States  by  way  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  and 
took  passage  in  a  sailing  vessel  for  Honolulu.  About 
two  weeks  ago  this  vessel,  in  some  way  which  I  do  not 
understand,  became  disabled " 

"  Rotten  forem'st,"  interrupted  the  man  with  the 
red  beard,  ''which  give  way  in  a  gale;  and  strained 
and  leaky  besides." 

"  I  did  not  know  the  mast  was  rotten,"  said  the  gen 
tleman,  "  but,  since  the  occasion  of  our  first  really 
serviceable  wind,  she  has  been  making  very  unsatis 
factory  progress.  And  more  than  that,  the  whole 
force  of  seamen  was  employed  night  and  day  in  en 
deavoring  to  keep  the  water  out  of  the  tea,  thereby 
causing  such  a  thumping  and  pounding  that  sleep 
was  out  of  the  question.  Add  to  this  the  fact  that 
our  meals  became  very  irregular,  and  were  sometimes 
entirely  overlooked " 

"  Prog  was  gettin'  mighty  short,''  interpolated  the 
red-bearded  man. 

'•'  You  can  easily  discern,  sir."  continued  the  gentle 
man,  "  that  it  was  impossible  for  myself  and  my 
daughter  to  remain  longer  on  that  vessel,  on  which  we 
were  the  only  passengers.  I  therefore  requested  the 
captain  to  put  us  ashore  at  the  nearest  land,  and,  after 
more  than  a  week  of  delay  and  demur,  he  consented  to 
do  so." 


MES.  LECKS  AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  67 

"  Could  n't  do  it,"  said  the  man,  u  till  there  was  land 
nigh  enough." 

"  The  captain  informed  me,"  continued  the  gentle 
man,  u  that  this  island  was  inhabited,  and  that  I  could 
here  find  shelter  and  repose  until  a  vessel  could  be 
sent  from  Honolulu  to  take  me  off.  He  furnished  me 
with  this  boat  and  three  seamen,  one  of  whom,"  point 
ing  to  the  red-bearded  man,  "is  a  coxswain.  We  have 
been  rowing  ever  since  early  this  morning,  with  but  a 
very  moderate  quantity  of  food  and  much  discomfort. 
Now,  sir,  you  have  heard  my  story ;  and  I  ask  you, 
as  one  man  to  another,  if  you  still  intend  to  bar  your 
water-gates  against  us  f  " 

"  I  did  not  bar  the  gates,"  I  said,  "  and  I  would 
gladly  unlock  them  if  I  could.  I  belong  to  a  ship 
wrecked  party  who  took  refuge  here  some  two  weeks 
ago." 

"  And  how  did  you  get  in  ? "  hastily  inquired  the 
red-bearded  coxswain. 

"  Our  boat  sunk  when  we  were  within  sight  of  the 
island,  and  we  came  here  on  life-preservers,  and  so 
got  under  the  bars." 

The  two  men  who  had  been  rowing  now  turned  sud 
denly  and  looked  at  me.  They  both  had  black  beards, 
and  they  both  exclaimed  at  the  same  moment,  "  By 
George  !  " 

"  I  won't  stop  here  to  tell  any  more  of  our  story," 
said  I.  "  The  great  point  now  is  to  get  you  all  ashore, 
and  have  you  cared  for." 

"  That 's  so ! "  said  the  coxswain.  And  the  two  sail 
ors  murmured,  "  Ay,  ay,  sir." 

The  bar  which  stopped  the  progress  of  the  larger 


68  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

boat  was  just  under  the  surface  of  the  water,  while 
another  a  foot  above  the  water  kept  my  skiff  about 
six  feet  distant  from  the  other  boat.  There  was  some 
loose  flooring  in  the  bottom  of  the  coxswrain's  boat, 
and  he  ordered  two  of  the  boards  taken  out,  and  with 
them  a  bridge  was  made,  one  end  resting  on  the  bow 
of  the  larger  boat,  and  the  other  on  the  iron  bar  by 
my  skiff. 

"  Now,''  said  the  coxswain,  "  let  the  lady  go  first." 

The  elderly  gentleman  arose,  as  if  he  would  prefer 
to.  take  the  lead ;  but  his  daughter,  who  had  not  yet 
spoken  a  word,  was  passed  forward  by  the  coxswain, 
steadied  over  the  bridge  by  one  of  the  sailors,  and  as 
sisted  by  me  into  the  skiff.  Then  her  father  came 
aboard,  and  I  rowed  with  them  to  the  wharf. 

Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  came  forward  most 
cordially  to  meet  them. 

"  Mr.  Dusante,  I  suppose  ? "  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  And 
Mrs.  Aleshine  hurriedly  whispered  in  my  ear,  "  Is  it 
Lucille  or  Emily  ? " 

As  quickly  as  possible  I  explained  the  situation.  For 
a  few  moments  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  stood 
speechless.  Nothing  which  had  happened  to  them, 
the  wreck  of  the  steamer,  the  sinking  of  the  boat,  or 
our  experience  with  life-preservers,  affected  them  so 
much  as  this  disappointment  in  regard  to  the  problem 
of  the  Dusante  family.  Travel  by  sea  was  all  novel 
and  strange  to  them,  and  they  had  expected  all  sorts 
of  things  to  which  they  were  not  accustomed;  but 
they  had  never  imagined  that  Fate  would  be  so  hard 
upon  them  as  to  snatch  away  the  solution  of  this 
mystery,  just  as  they  were  about  to  put  their  hands 


MBS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHIXE.  G9 

upon  it.  But,  iu  spite  of  this  sudden  blow,  the  two 
good  women  quickly  recovered  themselves,  and  with 
hearty  and  kindly  words  hurried  the  missionary  and 
his  daughter  to  the  house,  while  I  went  to  bring  over 
the  men. 

I  found  the  three  sailors  busy  in  securing  their  boat 
so  that  it  would  not  be  injured  by  the  rocks  during 
the  rising  and  falling  of  the  tide.  When  they  had 
finished  this  job,  they  had  to  do  a  good  deal  of  scram 
bling  before  they  reached  my  skiff. 

"We  thought  at  first,  sir,"  said  the  coxswain  as  I 
rowed  them  across  the  lagoon,  "that  it  was  all  gam 
mon  about  your  not  livin'  here  and  havin'  no  keys  to 
them  bars;  but  we  Ve  come  to  the  'pinion  that  if 
you  'd  been  able  to  unlock  'em  you  'd  have  done  it 
sooner  than  take  all  this  trouble." 

I  now  related  my  story  more  fully,  and  the  men 
were  greatly  astonished  when  they  heard  that  my 
companions  in  this  adventure  were  two  women.  Upon 
my  asking  the  coxswain  why  he  had  come  to  this 
island,  he  replied  that  his  captain  had  heard  that 
people  lived  on  it,  although  he  knew  nothing  about 
them;  and  that,  as  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to 
get  his  brig  here  with  the  wind  that  was  then  pre 
vailing,  and  as  he  did  not  wish  to  go  out  of  his  course 
anyway,  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  rather 
lose  the  services  of  three  men  than  keep  that  mission 
ary  on  board  a  day  longer. 

"  You  see,  sir,"  said  the  coxswain,  as  we  went  ashore, 
"  the  parson  would  n't  never  take  it  into  account  that 
we  were  short  of  prog,  and  leakin'  like  Sam  Hill ;  and 
because  things  were  uncomfortable  he  growled  up 


70  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

aud  he  growled  down,  till  he  was  wuss  for  the  spirits 
of  the  men  than  the  salt  water  comin'  in,  or  the  hard 
tack  givin'  out,  and  there  was  danger  if  he  was  n't  got 
rid  of  that  he  'd  be  pitched  overboard  and  left  to  take 
his  chances  for  a  whale.  And  then,  by  sendin'  us 
along,  that  give  the  crew  three  half -rations  a  day 
extry,  and  that  '11  count  for  a  good  deal  in  the  fix 
they  're  in." 

When  I  reached  the  house  I  took  the  men  into  the 
kitchen,  where  Mrs.  Aleshine  already  had  the  table 
spread.  There  were  bread  and  cold  meat,  while  the 
tea-kettle  steamed  by  the  fire.  In  a  very  short  time 
three  happy  mariners  sat  round  that  table,  while  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  with  beaming  face,  attended  to  their  wants, 
and  plied  them  with  innumerable  questions.  They  had 
not  finished  eating  when  Mrs.  Leeks  entered  the  kitchen. 

"I  put  that  minister  and  his  daughter  in  the  two 
front  bedrooms,"  said  she  to  me,  after  hospitably 
greeting  the  three  men,  "which  me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine 
had  run  and  got  ready  for  the  Dusantes,  as  soon  as 
you  went  in  your  boat  to  meet  'em.  The  young  lady 
was  mighty  nigh  worn  out,  and  glad  enough  of  the 
tea  and  things,  and  to  get  into  bed.  But  the  gentle 
man,  he  wanted  a  soft-boiled  egg,  and  when  I  told 
him  I  had  n't  come  across  no  hen-house  yet  on  this 
island,  he  looked  at  me  as  if  he  did  n't  half  believe 
me,  and  thought  I  was  keepin'  the  eggs  to  sell." 

"Which  it  would  be  ridiculous  to  do,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  "in  the  middle  of  an  ocean  like  this." 

"If  he  lets  you  off  with  soft-b'iled  eggs,  ma'am," 
said  the  coxswain  very  respectfully,  "  I  think  you  may 
bless  your  stars." 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  71 

"Ay,  ay,  sir,"  said  the  two  sailors  with  black  beards. 

Miss  Ruth  Enderton  and  her  father  did  not  make 
their  appearance  until  the  next  morning  at  breakfast- 
time.  I  found  the  young  lady  a  very  pleasant  person. 
She  was  rather  slight  in  figure,  inclined  to  be  pretty, 
and  was  what  might  be  called  a  warm-colored  blonde. 
Her  disposition  was  quite  sociable,  and  she  almost 
immediately  stepped  into  the  favor  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine. 

Mr.  Enderton,  however,  was  a  person  of  another 
sort.  He  was  a  prim  and  somewhat  formal  man,  and 
appeared  to  be  entirely  self-engrossed,  with  very  vague 
notions  in  regard  to  his  surroundings.  He  was  not 
by  any  means  an  ill-tempered  man,  being  rather  in 
clined  to  be  placid  than  otherwise ;  but  he  gave  so 
little  attention  to  circumstances  and  events  that  he 
did  not  appear  to  understand  why  he  should  be  in 
commoded  by  the  happenings  of  life.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  he  made  existence  on  board  the  disabled  brig 
a  hundred  times  more  unsatisfactory  than  it  would 
otherwise  have  been.  With  his  present  condition  he 
seemed  very  well  satisfied,  and  it  was  quite  plain  that 
he  looked  upon  Mrs.  Leeks,  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  my 
self  as  the  proprietors  of  the  establishment,  having 
forgotten,  or  paid  no  attention  to,  my  statement  in 
regard  to  our  coming  here. 

As  soon  as  she  thought  it  fit  and  proper — and  this 
moment  arrived  in  the  course  of  the  first  forenoon  — 
Mrs.  Leeks  spoke  to  Mr.  Enderton  on  the  subject  of 
the  board  which  should  be  paid  to  the  Dusantes.  She 
stated  the  arrangements  we  had  made  in  the  mat 
ter,  and  then  told  them  that  as  he  and  his  daughter 


72  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

had  the  best  accommodations  in  the  house,  each  oc 
cupying  a  large,  handsome  room,  she  thought  that 
he  should  pay  fifteen  dollars  a  week  for  the  two. 

"Now,  if  your  daughter,"  she  continued,  "can  do 
anythin'  about  the  house  which  will  be  of  real  help, 
though  for  the  life  of  me  I  don't  see  what  she  can  find 
to  do,  with  me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  here,  somethin' 
might  be  took  off  on  account  of  her  services;  but  of 
course  you,  sir,  can't  do  nothin7,  unless  you  was  to 
preach  on  Sundays;  and  not  knowin'  what  denomi 
nation  the  Dusantes  belong  to,  it  would  n't  be  fair  to 
take  their  money  to  pay  for  the  preachin'  of  doc 
trines  which,  perhaps,  they  don't  believe  in." 

This  financial  proposal  aroused  Mr.  Enderton's  op 
position.  "  When  I  came  here,  madam,"  he  said,  "  I 
did  not  expect  to  pay  any  board  whatever;  and  I 
think,  moreover,  that  your  rates  are  exorbitant.  In 
Nanfouchong,  if  I  remember  rightly,  the  best  of 
board  did  not  cost  more  than  two  or  three  dollars  a 
week." 

"I  don't  want  to  say  anythin',  sir,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"which  might  look  disrespectful,  but  as  long  as  I  've 
got  a  conscience  inside  of  me  I  'm  not  goiii'  to  stay 
here  and  see  the  Dusantes  lose  money  by  Chinese 
cheapness." 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  the  Dusantes,"  said 
Mr.  Enderton,  "but  I  am  not  going  to  pay  fifteen 
dollars  a  week  for  board  for  myself  and  daughter." 

The  discussion  lasted  for  some  time  with  consider 
able  warmth  on  each  side,  and  was  at  last  ended  by 
Mr.  Enderton  agreeing  to  pay  board  at  the  same  rate 
as  the  two  women  and  myself,  and  each  week  to 


MES.  LECKS   AND   MBS.  ALESHINE.  73 

deposit  in  the  ginger-jar  eight  dollars  for  himself  and 
daughter. 

"You  may  not  care  to  remember,  sir/'  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  with  cold  severity,  "that  Mr.  Craig,  and  me, 
and  Mrs.  Aleshine  puts  in  services  besides,  although 
to  be  sure,  they  don't  go  into  the  jar." 

"I  only  remember,"  said  Mr.  Enderton,  "that  I  am 
paying  an  unjustifiable  price  as  it  is." 

Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  however,  were  not  at 
all  of  this  opinion,  and  they  agreed  that,  if  it  should 
be  in  their  power,  they  would  see  to  it  that  the  Du- 
santes  lost  nothing  by  this  close-fisted  missionary. 

After  dinner  —  and  I  may  remark  that  the  new 
comers  were  not  consulted  in  regard  to  the  hours  for 
meals — Mrs.  Leeks  had  an  interview  with  the  cox 
swain  on  the  subject  of  board  for  himself  and  his  two 
companions.  This  affair,  however,  was  very  quickly 
settled,  for  the  three  mariners  had  among  them  only 
one  dollar  and  forty-three  cents,  and  this,  the  cox 
swain  explained,  they  would  like  to  keep  for  tobacco. 
It  was  therefore  settled  that,  as  the  three  sailors  could 
pay  no  money,  as  much  work  as  possible  should  be  got 
out  of  them ;  and  to  this  plan  they  agreed  heartily 
and  cheerfully. 

"There  's  only  one  thing  we  '11  ask,  ma'am,"  said 
the  coxswain  to  Mrs.  Leeks,  "and  that  is  that  we  be 
put  in  a  different  mess  from  the  parson.  We  've  now 
eat  two  meals  with  the  passengers,  and  me  and  my 
mates  is  agreed  that  that  's  about  as  much  as  we 
can  go." 

After  this,  therefore,  the  three  men  had  their  meals 
in  the  kitchen,  where  they  were  generally  joined  by 


74  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  much  delighted  in  their  company. 
But  she  made  it  a  point  sometimes  to  sit  down  with 
us  in  the  dining-room,  merely  to  show  that  she  had  as 
much  right  there  as  anybody. 

"As  to  the  work  for  them  sailor  men/'  said  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  ''I  don't  see  what  they  're  goin'  to  do.  Of 
course  they  don't  know  iiothin'  about  gardening  and 
it  seems  to  me  that  the  best  thing  to  be  done  is  to  put 
'em  to  fishin'." 

Mrs.  Leeks  considered  this  a  good  suggestion,  and 
accordingly  the  coxswain  and  his  companions  were 
told  that  thereafter  they  would  be  expected  to  fish 
for  eight  hours  a  day,  Sundays  excepted.  This  plan, 
however,  did  not  work  very  well.  During  the  first 
two  days  the  sailors  caught  so  many  fish,  that  although 
the  fishermen  themselves  had  excellent  appetites  for 
such  food,  it  was  found  utterly  impossible  to  consume 
what  they  brought  in.  Consequently,  it  was  ordered 
that  thereafter  they  should  catch  only  as  many  fish  as 
should  be  needed,  and  then  make  themselves  useful 
by  assisting  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  Mrs.  Leeks  in  any 
manner  they  might  direct. 

I  found  it  quite  easy  to  become  acquainted  with 
Miss  Ruth  Enderton,  as  she  was  very  much  inclined 
to  conversation.  "  It 's  ever  so  long,"  she  said,  "since 
I  Ve  had  anybody  to  talk  to." 

She  had  left  the  United  States  when  she  was  quite 
a  little  girl,  and  had  since  seen  nothing  of  her  native 
land.  She  was,  consequently,  full  of  questions  about 
America,  although  quite  willing  to  talk  of  her  life  in 
China.  Society,  at  least  such  kind  as  she  had  ever 
cared  for,  had  been  extremely  scarce  in  the  little 


MBS.  LECKS  AND   MES.  ALESHINE.  75 

missionary  station  at  which  she  had  lived  so  long ; 
and  now,  coming  from  a  wearisome  sojourn  on  a  dis 
abled  sailing  vessel,  with  no  company  but  the  crew 
and  a  preoccupied  father,  she  naturally  was  delighted 
to  get  among  people  she  could  talk  to.  With  Mrs. 
Leeks,  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  myself  she  soon  became 
very  friendly,  and  showed  herself  to  be  a  most  lively 
and  interesting  young  person. 

I  did  all  that  I  could  to  make  Miss  Ruth's  time  pass 
agreeably.  I  rowed  with  her  on  the  lagoon,  taught 
her  to  fish,  and  showed  her  all  the  pleasant  points  on 
the  island  which  could  be  easily  reached  by  walking. 
Mr.  Enderton  gave  us  very  little  of  his  company,  for, 
having  discovered  that  there  was  a  library  in  the 
house,  he  passed  most  of  his  time  in  that  room. 

"  You  have  made  a  very  fair  selection  of  books, 
sir,"  he  remarked  to  me, ''  but  it  may  readily  be  con 
ceived,  from  the  character  of  the  works,  that  your 
tastes  are  neither  ecclesiastic  nor  scientific." 

Several  times  I  explained  to  him  the  ownership  of 
the  library  and  the  house,  but  he  immediately  forgot 
what  I  had  said,  or  paid  no  attention  to  it.  When  he 
paid  his  board  at  the  end  of  the  week,  he  handed  the 
money  to  Mrs.  Leeks ;  and  although  before  his  eyes 
she  put  it  into  the  ginger-jar,  beneath  the  paper  of  fish 
hooks,  I  know  very  well  that  he  considered  he  was 
paying  it  to  her  for  her  own  use  and  behoof.  He  was 
comfortably  lodged,  he  had  all  that  he  needed  —  and 
very  nearly  all  that  he  wanted  —  to  eat ;  and  I  do  not 
know  that  I  ever  saw  a  man  more  contented  with  his  lot. 

As  for  the  coxswain  and  the  two  sailors,  they  had 
a  very  pleasant  time  of  it,  but  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
6 


76  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

Aleshine  would  not  think  of  snch  a  thing  as  allowing 
them  to  eat  in  idleness  the  bread  of  the  Dusantes. 
After  they  had  been  with  us  a  few  days,  Mrs.  Leeks 
told  me  that  she  thought  she  could  show  the  coxswain 
and  his  mates  how  to  dig  and  gather  the  garden  stuff 
which  was  daily  needed. 

"  To  be  sure,"  said  she,  "  that  work  goes  agin  part 
of  your  board,  but  fishin'  and  bringin'  in  firewood 
don't  take  up  quarter  of  the  time  of  them  sailors;  and 
so  that  the  garden  work  is  done,  I  don't  suppose  it 
matters  to  the  Dusantes  who  does  it.  And  that  '11  give 
you  more  time  to  make  things  pleasant  for  Miss  Ruth ; 
for,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  there  is  n't  a  thing  for  her  to 
do  even  if  she  knows  how  to  do  it.  " 

The  three  mariners  were  more  than  willing  to  do 
anything  desired  by  Mrs.  Leeks  or  Mrs.  Aleshine,  to 
whom  they  looked  up  with  great  admiration  and  re 
spect.  The  latter  was  their  favorite,  not  only  because 
she  was  with  them  a  great  deal  during  their  meals 
and  at  other  times,  but  because  of  her  genial  nature 
and  easy  sociability.  The  men  were  always  trying  to 
lighten  her  labors,  and  to  do  something  that  would 
please  her. 

One  of  them  climbed  to  the  top  of  what  she  called 
a  "  palm-leaf-fan  tree,"  and  brought  therefrom  some 
broad  leaves  which  he  cut,  and  trimmed,  and  sewed  in 
true  nautical  fashion,  until  he  made  some  fans  which 
were  heavy  and  clumsy,  but,  as  he  said,  they  would 
stand  half  a  gale  of  wind  if  she  chose  to  raise  it.  The 
coxswain  caught  or  trapped  two  sea-birds,  and,  having 
clipped  their  wings,  he  spent  days  in  endeavoring  to 
tame  them,  hoping  to  induce  them,  as  far  as  the  power 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  77 

in  them  lay,  to  take  the  place  of  the  barn-yard  fowls 
whose  absence  Mrs.  Aleshine  continually  deplored. 
Every  evening,  the  two  black-bearded  sailors  would 
dance  hornpipes  for  her,  much  to  her  diversion  and 
delight, 

u  I  've  often  heard,"  she  remarked,  "  that  in  these  hot 
cocoanut  countries  the  tricks  of  the  monkeys  was 
enough  to  keep  everybody  on  a  steady  laugh,  but  I  'm 
sure  sailor  men  is  a  great  deal  better.  When  you  get 
tired  of  their  pranks  and  their  tomfooleries  you  can 
tell  'em  to  stop,  which  with  monkeys  you  can't." 

It  was  about  ten  days  after  the  arrival  of  the  mis 
sionary's  party  that,  as  I  was  going  to  get  ready  the 
boat  in  which  Miss  Ruth  and  myself  generally  rowed 
in  the  cool  of  the  evening,  I  saw  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  sitting  on  the  beach  in  the  shade  of  some 
low-growing  trees.  They  were  evidently  waiting  for 
me,  and  as  soon  as  I  appeared  Mrs.  Leeks  beckoned  to 
me ;  whereupon  I  joined  them. 

"  Sit  down,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  there  's  some  thin'  I 
want  to  talk  to  you  about.  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  me 
have  made  up  our  minds  that  you  ought  to  be  hurried 
up  a  little  about  poppin'  the  question  to  Miss  Ruth." 

This  remark  astounded  me.  "  Popping  the  ques 
tion  ! "  I  exclaimed. 

u  Yes,"  continued  Mrs.  Leeks,  u  and  me  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  know  very  well  that  you  have  n't  done  it 
yet ;  for  both  of  us  havin'  been  through  that  sort  of 
thing  ourselves,  we  know  the  signs  of  it  after  it  has 
happened." 

"  And  we  would  n't  say  nothin'  to  hurry  you,"  ad 
ded  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  if  it  was  n't  that  the  groceries, 


78  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

especially  the  flour,  is  a-gettin'  low.  We  've  been  talkin' 
to  them  sailor  men,  and  they  're  pretty  well  agreed 
that  there  's  no  use  now  in  expectin'  their  captain 
to  send  for  'em ;  for,  if  he  was  a-goin'  to  do  it  at  all, 
he  'd  'a'  done  it  before  this.  And  perhaps  he  never 
got  nowhere  himself,  in  which  case  he  could  n't.  And 
they  say  the  best  thing  we  can  all  do  when  the  victuals 
has  nearly  give  out,  provided  the  Dusantes  don't 
come  back  in  time,  is  to  take  what 's  left,  and  all  get 
into  their  big  boat,  and  row  away  to  that  island, 
which  I  don't  know  just  how  far  it  is,  that  the  cap 
tain  of  our  ship  was  goin'  to.  There  we  can  stay 
pretty  comfortable  till  a  ship  comes  along  and  takes 
us  off." 

"  But  what  has  all  that  to  do,"  I  asked,  "  with  Miss 
Ruth  and  me?" 

"Do?"  cried  Mrs.  Leeks;  "it  has  every  thin'  to  do. 
When  it 's  all  settled  and  fixed  between  you  and  Miss 
Ruth,  there  11  be  nothin'  to  hinder  us  from  gettin' 
ready  to  start  when  we  please." 

"  But,  my  dear  friends,"  I  said  with  much  earnest 
ness,  "  I  have  not  the  slightest  idea  of  proposing  to 
Miss  Enderton." 

"  That 's  just  what  I  said  to  Mrs.  Aleshine,"  said 
Mrs.  Leeks,  "  and  that 's  the  reason  we  let  our  irons 
cool,  and  come  out  here  to  talk  to  you.  It 's  just  like 
a  young  man  to  keep  puttin'  off  that  sort  of  thing; 
but  this  can't  be  put  off." 

" That's  so  ! "  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine ;  "  and  I  '11  just 
let  you  see  how  the  matter  stands.  There  is  house 
keepers  who  allows  a  pint  of  flour  a  day  to  each  per 
son,  but  this  is  for  farm  hands  and  people  who  works 


MKS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  79 

hard  and  eats  hearty ;  and  I  've  found  that  three 
quarters  of  a  pint  will  do  very  well  if  the  dough  is 
kneaded  conscientious  and  made  up  light,  so  that  it  '11 
rise  well  when  it  's  put  into  the  oven.  Now  I  've 
measured  all  the  flour  that 's  left,  and  me  and  Mrs. 
Leeks,  we  've  calculated  that,  allowin'  three  quarters 
of  a  pint  of  flour  a  day  to  each  one  of  us,  there 's  just 
eight  days  more  that  we  can  stay  here  —  that  is,  if 
the  Dusantes  don't  come  back  before  that  time,  which, 
of  course,  can't  be  counted  on.  So  you  can  see  for 
yourself,  Mr.  Craig,  there  's  no  time  to  be  lost,  even 
considerin'  that  she  has  n't  to  make  up  anythin'  to  be 
married  in." 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks ;  "  just  for  us  and  three 
sailors,  that  would  n't  be  needed." 

I  looked  from  one  to  the  other  in  dumb  astonish 
ment.  Mrs.  Leeks  gave  me  no  time  to  say  anything. 

"  In  common  cases,"  said  she,  "  this  might  all  be 
put  off  till  we  got  somewhere;  but  it  won't  do  now. 
Here  you  are,  with  everythin'  in  your  own  hands ;  but 
just  get  away  from  here,  and  there  's  an  end  of  that. 
She  's  as  pretty  a  girl  as  you  '11  see  in  a  month  of 
Sundays;  and  if  she  leaves  here  without  your  gettin' 
her,  there  's  no  knowing  who  11  snap  her  up.  When 
we  've  got  to  that  island,  you  may  see  her  once  a  week, 
but  maybe  you  won't.  She  may  go  away  in  one  ship 
and  you  in  .another,  and  there  maybe  somebody  right 
there,  a  missionary,  for  all  I  know,  who  '11  have  her 
before  you  have  a  chance  to  put  in  a  word." 

"  And  that 's  not  the  worst  of  it,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine.  "  Supposin'  them  Dusantes  come  back  before 
we  go.  There  's  no  knowin'  what  that  Mr.  Dusante 


80  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

is.  He  may  be  a  brother  of  Emily  and  Lucille.  Aud 
what  sort  of  a  chance  would  you  have  then,  I  'd  like 
to  know,  with  Miss  Ruth  right  here  in  his  own  house, 
and  he  ownin'  the  rowboat,  and  everythin'  ?  Or  it 
may  be  he 's  a  widower,  and  that  '11  be  a  mighty  sight 
worse,  I  can  tell  you." 

"  Xo  matter  whether  they  're  widowers  or  never 
been  married,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  ''  there  '11  be  plenty 
that  '11  want  her  as  soon  as  they  see  her ;  and  if  it  is  n't 
for  the  girl's  own  pretty  face,  it  '11  be  for  her  father's 
money." 

"  Her  father's  money  !  "  I  exclaimed.  "  What  are 
you  talking  of  ? " 

"  There  's  no  good  tellin'  me  any  thin'  about  that," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks,  very  decidedly.  u  There  never  was 
a  man  as  close-fisted  as  Mr.  Enderton  who  had  n't 
money." 

"  And  you  know  as  well  as  we  do,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "  that  in  them  countries  where  he  's  been,  the 
heathens  worship  idols  of  silver  and  idols  of  gold; 
and  when  them  heathens  is  converted,  don't  you  sup 
pose  the  missionaries  get  any  of  that  ?  I  expect  that 
Mr.  Enderton  has  converted  thousands  of  heathens." 

At  this  suggestion  I  laughed  outright.  But  Mrs. 
Leeks  reproved  me. 

"Now,  Mr.  Craig,"  said  she,  ''this  is  no  laughin' 
matter.  What  me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  is  savin'  is  for 
your  good,  and  for  the  good  of  Miss  Ruth  along  with 
you.  I  have  n't  much  opinion  of  her  father,  but  his 
money  is  as  good  as  anybody  else's,  and,  though  they 
had  to  leave  their  trunks  on  board  their  ship,  what 
little  they  brought  with  them  shows  that  they  've 


MES.  LECKS  AND  MES.  ALESHINE.  81 

been  used  to  bavin7  the  best  there  is.  Mrs.  Aleshiue 
and  me  has  set  up  till  late  into  the  night  talk  in'  over 
this  thing;  and  we  are  both  of  one  mind  that  you  two 
need  never  expect  to  have  the  same  chance  again  that 
you  Ve  got  now.  The  very  fact  that  the  old  gentleman 
is  a  preacher,  and  can  marry  you  on  the  spot,  ought  to 
make  you  tremble  when  you  think  of  the  risks  you 
are  runnin'  by  puttin'  it  off." 

u  I  Ve  got  to  go  into  the  house  now  to  see  about 
supper,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  rising;  "and  I  hope 
you  '11  remember,  Mr.  Craig,  when  your  bread  is  on 
your  plate,  and  Miss  Ruth  is  sittin'  opposite  to  you, 
that  three  quarters  of  a  pint  of  flour  a  day  is  about  as 
little  as  anybody  can  live  on,  and  that  time  is  flyin'." 

Mrs.  Leeks  now  also  rose.  But  I  detained  the  two 
for  a  moment. 

"  I  hope  you  have  not  said  anything  to  Miss  Ender- 
ton  on  this  subject,"  I  said. 

"  No,"  replied  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "we  have  n't.  We  are 
both  agreed  that  as  you  're  the  one  that 's  to  do  what 's 
to  be  done,  you  are  the  one  that 's  to  be  spoke  to.  And 
havin'  been  through  it  ourselves,  we  understand  well 
enough  that  the  more  a  woman  don't  know  nothin' 
about  it,  the  more  likely  she  is  to  be  ketched  if  she 
wants  to  be." 

The  two  women  left  me  in  an  amused  but  also  some 
what  annoyed  state  of  mind.  I  had  no  intention  what 
ever  of  proposing  to  Miss  Ruth  Enderton.  She  was 
a  charming  girl,  very  bright  and  lively,  and  withal,  I 
had  reason  to  believe,  very  sensible.  But  it  was  not 
yet  a  fortnight  since  I  first  saw  her,  and  no  thought 
of  marrying  her  had  entered  into  my  head.  Had 


82  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  or,  more  important  than 
all,  had  Miss  Enderton,  any  reason  to  believe  that  I 
was  acting  the  part  of  a  lover  ? 

The  latter  portion  of  this  question  was  almost  im 
mediately  answered  to  my  satisfaction  by  the  appear 
ance  of  Miss  Ruth,  who  came  skipping  down  to  me  and 
calling  out  to  me  in  that  free  and  hearty  manner  with 
which  a  woman  addresses  a  friend  or  near  acquain 
tance,  but  never  a  suspected  lover.  She  betrayed  no 
more  notion  of  the  Leeks  and  Aleshine  scheme  than 
on  the  day  I  first  met  her. 

But,  as  I  was  rowing  her  over  the  lagoon,  I  felt 
a  certain  constraint,  which  I  had  not  known  before. 
There  was  no  ground  whatever  for  the  wild  imagin 
ings  of  the  two  women,  but  the  fact  that  they  had 
imagined  it  interfered  very  much  with  the  careless 
freedom  with  which  I  had  previously  talked  to  Miss 
Ruth.  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  she  noticed  any 
change  in  me,  for  she  chatted  and  laughed,  and  showed, 
as  she  had  done  from  the  first,  the  rare  delight  which 
she  took  in  this  novel  island  life. 

When  we  returned  to  the  house,  we  were  met  by 
Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  I  am  goin'  to  give  you  two  your 
supper/'  she  said,  "  on  that  table  there  under  the  tree. 
We  all  had  ours  a  little  earlier  than  common,  as  the 
sailor  men  seemed  hungry;  and  I  took  your  father's 
to  him  in  the  library,  where  I  expect  he  's  a-sittin'  yet, 
holdin'  a  book  in  one  hand  and  stirrin'  his  tea  with 
the  other,  till  he 's  stirred  out  nearly  every  drop  on  the 
floor,  which,  however,  it  won't  matter  at  all,  for  in  the 
mornin'  I  '11  rub  up  that  floor  till  it  's  as  bright  as 
new." 


MES.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  83 

This  plan  delighted  Miss  Ruth,  but  I  saw  in  it  the 
beginning  of  the  workings  of  a  deep-laid  scheme.  I 
was  just  about  to  sit  down,  when  Mrs.  Aleshine  said 
to  me  in  a  low  voice  as  she  left  us : 

"  Remember  that  the  first  three  quarters  of  a  pint 
apiece  begins  now  ! " 

"  Don't  you  think  that  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  are  perfectly  charming  ? "  said  Miss  Ruth,  as  she 
poured  out  the  tea.  "  They  always  seem  to  be  trying 
to  think  of  some  kind  thing  to  do  for  other  people." 

I  agreed  entirely  with  Miss  Enderton's  remark,  but 
I  could  not  help  thinking  of  the  surprise  she  would 
feel  if  she  knew  of  the  kind  thing  that  these  two  women 
were  trying  to  do  for  her. 

"  Have  you  taken  any  steps  yet? "  asked  Mrs.  Leeks 
of  me  the  next  day.  And  on  my  replying  that  I  had 
taken  no  steps  of  the  kind  to  which  I  supposed  she 
alluded,  she  walked  away  with  a  very  grave  and  seri 
ous  face. 

A  few  hours  later  Mrs.  Aleshine  came  to  me. 
u  There  's  another  reason  for  hurryiii'  up,"  said  she. 
"  Them  sailor  men  seems  able  to  do  without  most  any- 
thin'  in  this  world  except  tobacco,  and  Mrs.  Leeks  has 
been  sellin'  it  to  'em  out  of  a  big  box  she  found  in 
a  closet  up-stairs,  at  five  cents  a  teacup  full,  which  I 
think  is  awful  cheap,  but  she  says  prices  in  islands  is 
always  low,  and  wrapping  the  money  up  in  a  paper, 
with  l  Cash  paid  by  sailor  men  for  tobacco '  written 
on  it,  and  puttin'  it  into  the  ginger-jar  with  the  board- 
money.  But  their  dollar  and  forty-three  cents  is 
nearly  gone,  and  Mrs.  Leeks  she  says  that  not  a  whiff 
of  Mr.  Dusante's  tobacco  shall  they  have  if  they  can't 


84  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

pay  for  it.  And  when  they  have  nothiu'  to  smoke 
they  '11  be  wantin'  to  leave  this  island  just  as  quick 
as  they  can,  without  waitin'  for  the  flour  to  give 
out." 

Here  was  another  pressure  brought  to  bear  upon 
me.  Not  only  the  waning  flour,  but  the  rapidly  dis 
appearing  tobacco-money  was  used  as  a  weapon  to 
urge  me  forward  to  the  love-making  which  Mrs.  Leeks 
and  Mrs.  Aleshine  had  set  their  hearts  upon. 

I  was  in  no  hurry  to  leave  the  island,  and  hoped 
very  much  that  when  we  did  go  we  should  depart  in 
some  craft  more  comfortable  than  a  ship's  boat.  In 
order,  therefore,  to  prevent  any  undue  desire  to  leave 
on  the  part  of  the  sailors,  I  gave  them  money  enough 
to  buy  a  good  many  teacups  full  of  tobacco.  By  this 
act  I  think  I  wounded  the  feelings  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine,  although  I  had  no  idea  that  such  would 
be  the  effect  of  my  little  gift.  The}^  said  nothing  to 
me  on  the  subject,  but  their  looks  and  manners  indi 
cated  that  they  thought  I  had  not  been  acting  honor 
ably.  For  two  days  they  had  very  little  to  say  to  me ; 
and  then  Mrs.  Aleshiue  came  to  me  to  make  what,  I 
suppose,  was  their  supreme  effort. 

"Mrs.  Leeks  and  me  is  a-goin'  to  try,"  she  said, —  and 
as  she  spoke  she  looked  at  me  with  a  very  sad  expres 
sion  and  a  watery  appearance  about  the  eyes, — "to 
stretch  out  the  time  for  you  a  little  longer.  We  are 
goin'  to  make  them  sailor  men  eat  more  fish,  and  as 
for  me  and  her,  we  '11  go  pretty  much  without  bread, 
and  make  it  up,  as  well  as  we  can,  on  other  things. 
You  and  Miss  Ruth  and  the  parson  can  each  have 
your  three  quarters  of  a  pint  of  flour  a  day,  just  the 


MRS.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  85 

same  as  ever,  but  what  we  save  ought  to  give  you 
three  or  four  days  longer." 

This  speech  moved  me  deeply.  I  could  not  allow 
these  two  kind-hearted  women  to  half  starve  them 
selves  iu  order  that  I  might  have  more  time  to  woo, 
and  I  spoke  very  earnestly  on  the  subject  to  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  urging  her  to  give  up  the  fanciful  plans  which 
she  and  Mrs.  Leeks  had  concocted. 

"'Let  us  drop  this  idea  of  love-making,"  I  said, 
"which  is  the  wildest  kind  of  vagary,  and  all  live 
happily  together,  as  we  did  before.  If  the  provisions 
give  out  before  the  Dusantes  come  back,  I  suppose 
we  shall  have  to  leave  in  the  boat;  but,  until  that 
time  comes,  let  us  enjoy  life  here  as  much  as  we  can, 
and  be  the  good  friends  that  we  used  to  be.'7 

I  might  as  well  have  talked  to  one  of  the  palm-trees 
which  waved  over  us. 

"As  I  said  before,"  remarked  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "what 
is  saved  from  Mrs.  Lecks's  and  mine  and  the  three 
sailor  men's  three  quarters  of  a  pint  apiece  ought  to 
give  you  four  days  more."  And  she  went  into  the 
house. 

All  this  time  the  Reverend  Mr.  Enderton  had  sat 
and  read  in  the  library,  or  meditatively  had  walked 
the  beach  with  a  book  iu  his  hand;  while  the  three 
mariners  had  caught  fish,  performed  their  other  work, 
and  lain  in  the  shade,  smoking  their  pipes  in  peace. 
Miss  Ruth  and  I  had  taken  our  daily  rows  and  walks, 
and  had  enjoyed  our  usual  hours  of  pleasant  converse, 
and  all  the  members  of  the  little  colony  seemed  happy 
and  contented  except  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine. 
These  two  went  gravely  and  sadly  about  their  work, 


86  THE   CASTING  AWAY   OF 

and  the  latter  asked  no  more  for  the  hornpipes  and 
the  sea  songs  of  her  sailor  men. 

But,  for  some  unaccountable  reason,  Mr.  Endertou's 
condition  of  tranquil  abstraction  did  not  continue. 
He  began  to  be  fretful  and  discontented.  He  found 
fault  with  his  food  and  his  accommodations,  and  in 
stead  of  spending  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  the 
library  as  had  been  his  wont,  he  took  to  wandering 
about  the  island,  generally  with  two  or  three  books 
under  his  arm,  sometimes  sitting  down  in  one  place 
and  sometimes  in  another,  and  then  rising  suddenly 
to  go  grumbling  into  the  house. 

One  afternoon,  as  Miss  Ruth  and  I  were  in  the  skiff 
in  the  lagoon,  we  saw  Mr.  Enderton  approaching  us, 
walking  on  the  beach.  As  soon  as  he  was  near  enough 
for  us  to  hear  him,  he  shouted  to  his  daughter: 

"Ruth,  come  out  of  that  boat!  If  you  want  to  take 
the  air  I  should  think  you  might  as  well  walk  with 
me  as  to  go  rowing  round  with  —  witli  anybody." 

This  rude  and  heartless  speech  made  my  blood  boil, 
while  my  companion  turned  pale  with  mortification. 
The  man  had  never  made  the  slightest  objection  to 
our  friendly  intercourse,  and  this  unexpected  attack 
was  entirely  indefensible. 

"  Please  put  me  ashore,'1  said  Miss  Ruth.  And  with 
out  a  word,  for  I  could  not  trust  myself  to  speak,  I 
landed  her.  And  petulantly  complaining  that  she 
never  gave  him  one  moment  of  her  society,  her  father 
led  her  away. 

An  hour  later,  my  soul  still  in  a  state  of  turmoil, 
but  with  the  violence  of  its  tossings  somewhat  abated, 
I  entered  one  of  the  paths  which  led  through  the 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  87 

woods.  After  a  few  turns,  I  reached  a  point  where  I 
could  see  for  quite  a  long  distance  to  the  other  end  of 
the  path,  which  opened  out  upon  the  beach.  There  I 
perceived  Mr.  Enderton,  sitting  upon  the  little  bench 
on  which  I  had  found  Emily's  book.  His  back  was 
toward  me,  and  he  seemed  to  be  busily  reading. 
About  midway  between  him  and  myself  I  saw  Miss 
Ruth,  slowly  walking  toward  me.  Her  eyes  were 
fixed  upon  the  ground,  and  she  had  not  seen  me. 

Stepping  to  one  side  I  awaited  her  approach.  When 
she  came  near  I  accosted  her. 

"  Miss  Rath,"  said  I,  "  has  your  father  been  talking 
to  you  of  me?" 

She  looked  up  quickly,  evidently  surprised  at  my 
being  there.  "  Yes/'  she  said,  "  he  has  told  rne  that  it 
is  not  —  suitable  that  I  should  be  with  you  as  much 
as  I  have  been  since  we  came  here." 

There  was  something  in  this  remark  that  roused 
again  the  turmoil  which  had  begun  to  subside  within 
me.  There  was  so  much  that  was  unjust  and  tyran 
nical,  and — what  perhaps  touched  me  still  deeper — 
there  was  such  a  want  of  consideration  and  respect  in 
this  behavior  of  Mr.  Enderton  that  it  brought  to  the 
front  some  very  incongruous  emotions.  I  had  been 
superciliously  pushed  aside,  and  I  found  I  was  angry. 
Something  was  about  to  be  torn  from  me,  and  I  found 
I  loved  it. 

"  Ruth,"  said  I,  stepping  up  close  to  her,  "  do  you 
like  to  be  with  me  as  you  have  been  ? " 

If  Miss  Ruth  had  not  spent  such  a  large  portion  of 
her  life  in  the  out-of-the-world  village  of  Nanfou- 
chong;  if  she  had  not  lived  among  those  simple- 


88  THE   CASTING  AWAY  OF 

hearted  missionaries,  where  it  was  never  necessary  to 
conceal  her  emotions  or  her  sentiments ;  if  it  had  not 
been  that  she  never  had  had  emotions  or  sentiments 
that  it  was  necessary  to  conceal,  I  do  not  believe  that 
when  she  answered  me  she  would  have  raised  her 
eyes  to  me  with  a  look  in  them  of  a  deep-bine  sky 
seen  through  a  sort  of  Indian-summer  mist,  and  that 
gazing  thus  she  would  have  said  : 

"Of  course  I  like  it." 

"  Then  let  us  make  it  suitable,"  I  said,  taking  both 
her  hands  in  mine. 

There  was  another  look,  in  which  the  skies  shone 
clear  and  bright,  and  then,  in  a  moment,  it  was  all 
done. 

About  five  minutes  after  this  I  said  to  her,  "  Ruth, 
shall  we  go  to  your  father?" 

"  Certainly,"  she  answered.  And  together  we  walked 
along  the  thickly  shaded  path. 

The  missionary  still  sat  with  his  back  toward  us: 
and,  being  so  intent  upon  his  book,  I  found  that  by 
keeping  my  eyes  upon  him  it  was  perfectly  safe  to 
walk  with  my  arm  around  Ruth  until  we  had  nearly 
reached  him.  Then  I  took  her  hand  in  mine,  and  we 
stepped  in  front  of  him. 

"  Father,"  said  Ruth,  "  Mr.  Craig  and  I  are  going  to 
be  married." 

There  was  something  very  plump  about  this  re 
mark,  and  Mr.  Enderton  immediately  raised  his  eyes 
from  his  book  and  fixed  them,  first  upon  his  daugh 
ter  and  then  upon  me;  then  he  let  them  drop,  and 
through  the  narrow  space  between  us  he  gazed  out 
over  the  sea. 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  89 

"Well,  father,"  said  Ruth,  a  little  impatiently, 
"  what  do  you  think  of  it  ? " 

Mr.  Enderton  leaned  forward  and  pieked  up  a  leaf 
from  the  ground.  This  he  placed  between  the  open 
pages  of  his  book  and  closed  it. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  he  said,  u  that  on  many  accounts 
the  arrangement  you  propose  may  be  an  excellent 
one.  Yes,"  he  added  more  decidedly,  "  I  think  it  will 
do  very  well  indeed.  I  shall  not  be  at  all  surprised 
if  we  are  obliged  to  remain  on  this  island  for  a  con 
siderable  time,  and,  for  my  part,  I  have  no  desire  to 
leave  it  at  present.  And  when  you  shall  place  your 
self,  Ruth,  in  a  position  in  which  you  will  direct  the 
domestic  economies  of  the  establishment,  I  hope  that 
you  will  see  to  it  that  things  generally  are  made  more 
compatible  with  comfort  and  gentility,  and,  as  regards 
the  table,  I  may  add  with  palatability." 

Ruth  and  I  looked  at  each  other,  and  then  together 
we  promised  that  as  far  as  in  us  lay  we  would  try  to 
make  the  life  of  Mr.  Enderton  a  happy  one,  not  only 
while  we  were  on  the  island,  but  ever  afterward. 

We  were  promising  a  great  deal,  but  at  that  mo 
ment  we  felt  very  grateful. 

Then  he  stood  up,  shook  us  both  by  the  hands,  and 
we  left  him  to  his  book. 

When  Ruth  and  I  came  walking  out  of  the  woods 
and  approached  the  house,  Mrs.  Aleshine  wras  stand 
ing  outside,  not  far  from  the  kitchen.  When  she  saw 
us  she  gazed  steadily  at  us  for  a  few  moments,  a 
strange  expression  coming  over  her  face.  Then  she 
threw  up  both  her  hands,  and  without  a  word  she 
turned  and  rushed  indoors. 


90  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

We  had  not  reached  the  house  before  Mrs.  Leeks 
and  Mrs.  Aleshine  came  hurrying  out  together.  Run 
ning  up  to  us  with  a  haste  and  an  excitement  I  had 
never  seen  in  either  of  them,  first  one  and  then  the 
other  took  Ruth  into  her  arms  and  kissed  her  with 
much  earnestness.  Then  they  turned  upon  me  and 
shook  my  hands  with  hearty  vigor,  expressing,  more 
by  their  looks  and  actions  than  their  words,  a  tri 
umphant  approbation  of  what  I  had  done. 

"The  minute  I  laid  eyes  on  you,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"I  knowed  it  was  all  right.  There  was  n't  no  need  of 
askin'  questions." 

I  now  became  fearful  lest,  in  the  exuberance  of 
their  satisfaction,  these  good  women  might  reveal  to 
Ruth  the  plans  they  had  laid  for  our  matrimonial 
future,  and  the  reluctance  I  had  shown  in  entering 
into  them.  My  countenance  must  have  expressed 
my  apprehensions,  for  Mrs.  Aleshine,  her  ruddy  face 
glowing  with  warmth,  both  mental  and  physical,  gave 
me  a  little  wink,  and  drew  me  to  one  side. 

"  You  need  n't  suppose  that  we  've  ever  said  any- 
thin'  to  Miss  Ruth,  or  that  we  're  goiii'  to.  It 's  a  great 
deal  better  to  let  her  think  you  did  it  all  yourself." 

I  felt  like  resenting  this  imputation  upon  the  in 
dependence  of  my  love-making,  but  at  this  happy  mo 
ment  I  did  not  want  to  enter  into  a  discussion,  and 
therefore  merely  smiled. 

"  I  'm  so  glad,  I  don't  know  how  to  tell  it,"  con 
tinued  Mrs.  Aleshine,  as  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Ruth  walked 
toward  the  house. 

I  was  about  to  follow,  but  my  companion  detained  me. 

"  Have  you  spoke  to  the  parson  ? "  she  asked. 


MRS.  LECKS   AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  91 

"  Oh,  yes,"  said  I,  "  and  he  seems  perfectly  satis 
fied.  I  am  rather  surprised  at  this,  because  of  late 
he  has  been  in  such  a  remarkably  bad  humor." 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine ;  "  there  7s  no  get- 
tin'  round  the  fact  that  he  ?s  been  a  good  deal  Grosser 
than  two  sticks.  You  see,  Mr.  Craig,  that  Mrs.  Leeks 
and  me,  we  made  up  our  minds  that  it  was  n't  fair  to 
the  Dusantes  to  let  that  rich  missionary  go  on  payin' 
nothin'  but  four  dollars  a  week  apiece  for  him  and  his 
daughter,  and  if  we  could  n't  get  no  more  out  of  him 
one  way,  we  7d  do  it  another.  It  was  fair  enough  that 
if  he  did  n't  pay  more  he  ought  to  get  less ;  and  so 
we  gave  him  more  fish  and  not  so  much  bread,  the 
same  as  we  did  the  sailor  men,  and  we  weakened  his 
tea,  and  sent  him  just  so  much  sugar,  and  no  more; 
and  as  for  openin'  boxes  of  sardines  for  him,  which 
there  was  no  reason  why  they  should  n't  be  left  here 
for  the  Dusantes,  I  just  would  n't  do  it,  though  he  said 
he  'd  got  all  the  fresh  fish  he  wanted  when  he  was  in 
China.  And  then  we  agreed  that  it  was  high  time 
that  that  libr'ry  should  be  cleaned  up,  and  we  went 
to  work  at  it,  not  mindin'  what  he  said  ;  for  it 's  no 
use  tellin'  me  that  four  dollars  a  week  will  pay  for  a 
front  room  and  good  board,  and  the  use  of  a  libr'ry 
all  day.  And,  as  there  was  n't  no  need  of  both  of  us 
cleanin'  one  room,  Mrs.  Leeks,  she  went  into  the  par 
lor,  where  he  'd  took  his  books,  and  begun  there.  And 
then,  again,  we  shut  down  on  Mr.  Dusante's  dressing- 
gown.  There  was  no  sense  includin'  the  use  of  that 
in  his  four  dollars  a  week,  so  we  brushed  it  up,  and 
camphored  it,  and  put  it  away.  We  just  wanted  to 
let  him  know  that  if  he  undertook  to  be  skinflinty, 
7 


92  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

he'd  better  try  it  on  somebody  else  besides  us.  We 
could  see  that  he  was  a  good  deal  upset,  for,  if  ever 
a  man  liked  to  have  things  quiet  and  comfortable 
around  him,  and  everything  his  own  way,  that  man  is 
that  missionary.  But  we  did  n't  care  if  we  did  prod 
him  up  a  little.  Mrs.  Leeks  and  me,  we  both  agreed 
that  it  would  do  him  good.  Why,  he  'd  got  into  such 
a  way  of  shettin'  himself  up  in  himself,  that  he  did  n't 
even  see  that  his  daughter  was  goin'  about  with  a 
young  man,  and  fixin'  her  affections  on  him  more  and 
more  every  day,  when  he  never  had  no  idea,  as  could 
be  proved  by  witnesses,  of  marry  in'  her." 

"  Mrs.  Aleshine,"  said  I,  looking  at  her  very  stead 
fastly,  "  I  believe,  after  all,  that  you  and  Mrs.  Leeks 
had  your  own  way  in  regard  to  hurrying  up  this 
matter." 

"  Yes,"  said  she,  with  happy  complacency,  "  I 
should  n't  wonder  if  we  had.  Stirrin'  up  the  parson 
was  our  last  chance,  and  it  was  n't  much  trouble  to 
do  it." 

Mrs.  Leeks,  whose  manner  toward  me  for  the  last 
few  days  had  been  characterized  by  cold  severity,  now 
resumed  her  former  friendly  demeanor,  although  she 
was  not  willing  to  let  the  affair  pass  over  without 
some  words  of  reproach. 

u  I  must  say,  Mr.  Craig,"  she  remarked  the  next 
morning,  "  that  I  was  gettiu'  pretty  well  outdone  with 
you.  I  was  beginniu'  to  think  that  a  young  man 
that  could  n't  see  and  would  n't  see  what  was  good 
for  him  did  n't  deserve  to  have  it ;  and  if  Miss 
Ruth's  father  had  just  come  down  with  a  heavy  foot 
and  put  an  end  to  the  whole  business,  I  'in  not  sure 


MRS.  LECKS   AND   MRS.  ALESHINE.  93 

I  'd  been  sorry  for  you.  But  it 's  all  right  at  last, 
and  bygones  is  bygones.  And  now,  what  we  've  got 
to  do  is  to  get  ready  for  the  weddin'." 

"  The  wedding  !  "  I  exclaimed. 

Mrs.  Leeks  regarded  me  with  an  expression  in  which 
there  was  something  of  virtuous  indignation  and 
something  of  pity.  "  Mr.  Craig,"  said  she,  "  if  there 
ever  was  anybody  that  wanted  a  guardeen,  it 's  you. 
Now,  just  let  me  tell  you  this.  That  Mr.  Enderton 
ain't  to  be  trusted  no  further  than  you  can  see  him, 
and  not  so  fur,  neither,  if  it  can  be  helped.  He  's 
willin'  for  you  to  have  Miss  Ruth  now,  because  he  's 
pretty  much  made  up  his  mind  that  we  're  goin'  to 
stay  here ;  and  as  he  considers  you  the  master  of  this 
island,  of  course  he  thinks  it  '11  be  for  his  good  for 
his  daughter  to  be  mistress  of  it.  For  one  thing,  he 
would  n't  expect  to  pay  no  board  then.  But  just  let 
him  get  away  from  this  island,  and  just  let  him  set 
his  eyes  on  some  smooth-faced  young  fellow  that  '11 
agree  to  take  him  into  the  concern  and  keep  him  for 
nuthiu'  on  books  and  tea,  he  '11  just  throw  you  over 
without  winkin'.  And  Miss  Ruth  is  not  the  girl  to 
marry  you  against  his  will,  if  he  opens  the  Bible  and 
piles  texts  on  her,  which  he  is  capable  of  doin'.  If  in 
any  way  you  two  should  get  separated  when  you  leave 
here,  there  's  no  knowin'  when  you  'd  ever  see  each 
other  again,  for  where  he  '11  take  her  nobody  can  tell. 
He 's  more  willin'  to  set  down  and  stay  where  he  finds 
himself  comfortable  than  anybody  I  've  met  yet." 

"  Of  course,"  I  said,  "  I  'm  ready  to  be  married  at 
any  moment,  but  I  don't  believe  Miss  Ruth  and  her 
father  would  consent  to  anything  so  speedy." 


94  THE   CASTING   AWAY   OF 

"  Don't  you  get  into  the  way,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  of 
beforehand  believin'  this  or  that.  It  don't  pay.  Just 
you  go  to  her  father,  and  talk  to  him  about  it ;  and  if 
you  and  him  agree,  it  '11  be  easy  enough  to  make  her 
see  the  sense  of  it.  You  attend  to  them,  and  I  '11  see 
that  everythin'  is  got  ready.  And  you  'd  better  fix 
the  day  for  to-morrow,  for  we  can't  stay  here  much 
longer,  and  there  's  a  lot  of  house-cleanin'  and  bakin' 
and  cookin'  to  be  done  before  we  go." 

I  took  this  advice,  and  broached  the  subject  to  Mr. 
Enderton. 

"  Well,  sir,"  said  he,  laying  down  his  book,  "  your 
proposition  is  decidedly  odd ;  I  may  say,  very  odd,  in 
deed.  But  it  is,  perhaps,  after  all,  no  odder  than  many 
things  I  have  seen.  Among  the  various  denomina 
tional  sects  I  have  noticed  occurrences  quite  as  odd; 
quite  as  odd,  sir.  For  my  part  I  have  no  desire  to  ob 
ject  to  an  early  celebration  of  the  matrimonial  rites. 
I  may  say,  indeed,  that  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  a  cer 
tain  amount  of  celerity  in  this  matter  will  conduce  to 
the  comfort  of  all  concerned.  It  has  been  a  very  un 
satisfactory  thing  to  me  to  see  my  daughter  occupying 
a  subordinate  position  in  our  little  family,  where  she 
has  not  even  the  power  to  turn  household  affairs  into 
the  channels  of  my  comfort.  To-morrow,  I  think,  will 
do  very  well  indeed.  Even  if  it  should  rain,  I  see  no 
reason  why  the  ceremony  should  be  postponed." 

The  proposition  of  a  wedding  on  the  morrow  was 
not  received  by  Kuth  with  favor.  She  was  unpre 
pared  for  such  precipitancy.  But  she  finally  yielded 
to  arguments;  not  so  much  to  mine,  I  fear,  as  to  those 
offered  bv  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine. 


MES.  LECKS  AND  MRS.  ALESHINE.  95 

For  the  rest  of  that  day  the  three  mariners  were 
kept  very  busy,  bringing  in  green  things  to  deck  the 
parlor,  and  doing  every  imaginable  kind  of  work  ne 
cessary  to  a  wedding  which  Mrs.  Aleshine  was  willing 
to  give  into  their  hands.  As  for  herself  and  her  good 
friend,  they  pnt  themselves  upon  their  mettle  as  pro 
viders  of  festivals.  They  made  cakes,  pies,  and  I  never 
knew,  half  so  well  as  the  three  sailors,  how  many 
other  kinds  of  good  things.  Besides  all  this,  they 
assisted  Ruth  to  fit  herself  out  in  some  degree  in  a 
manner  becoming  to  a  bride.  Some  light  and  pretty 
adornments  of  dress  were  borrowed  from  Emily  or 
Lucille,  they  knew  not  which,  and,  after  having  been 
"  done  up "  and  fluted  and  crimped  by  Mrs.  Leeks, 
were  incorporated  by  Ruth  into  her  costume  with  so 
much  taste  that  on  the  wedding  morning  she  appeared 
to  me  to  be  dressed  more  charmingly  than  any  bride 
I  ever  saw. 

The  three  sailors  had  done  their  own  washing  and 
ironing,  and  appeared  in  cleanly  garb,  and  with  hair 
and  beards  well  wet  and  brushed.  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine  put  on  their  best  bibs  and  tuckers,  and 
Mr.  Enderton  assumed  his  most  clerical  air,  as  he 
stood  behind  a  table  in  the  parlor  and  married  Ruth 
and  me. 

"  This,"  said  Mr.  Enderton,  as  we  were  seated  at  the 
wedding  feast,  "  is  a  most  creditable  display  of  attrac 
tive  viands ;  but  I  may  say,  my  dear  Ruth,  that  I  think 
I  perceived  the  influence  of  the  happy  event  of  to-day 
even  before  it  took  place.  I  have  lately  had  a  better 
appetite  for  my  food,  and  have  experienced  a  greater 
enjoyment  of  my  surroundings." 


96  THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF 

"I  should  think  so,"  murmured  Mrs.  Aleshine  in  my 
ear,  "for  we  'd  no  sooner  knowed  that  you  two  were 
to  make  a  match  of  it,  than  we  put  an  extry  spoonful 
of  tea  into  his  pot,  and  stopped  scrubbin'  the  libr'ry." 

For  the  next  two  days  all  was  bustle  and  work  at 
the  island.  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  would  not 
consent  to  depart  without  leaving  everything  in  the 
best  possible  order,  so  that  the  Dusantes  might  not 
be  dissatisfied  with  the  condition  of  their  house  when 
they  returned.  It  was,  in  fact,  the  evident  desire  of 
the  two  women  to  gratify  their  pride  in  their  house 
wifely  abilities  by  leaving  everything  better  than  they 
found  it. 

Mr.  Enderton  was  much  surprised  at  these  prepa 
rations  for  immediate  departure.  He  was  very  well 
satisfied  with  his  life  on  the  island,  and  had  prepared 
his  mind  for  an  indefinite  continuance  of  it,  with  the 
position  of  that  annoying  and  obdurate  Mrs.  Leeks 
filled  by  a  compliant  and  affectionate  daughter.  He 
had  no  reasonable  cause  for  complaint,  for  the  whole 
subject  of  the  exhaustion  of  our  supply  of  provisions 
and  the  necessity  of  an  open-boat  trip  to  an  inhabited 
island  had  been  fully  discussed  before  him.  But  he 
was  so  entirely  engrossed  in  the  consideration  of  his 
own  well-being,  that  this  discussion  of  our  plans  had 
made  no  impression  upon  him.  He  now  became  con 
vinced  that  a  conspiracy  had  been  entered  into  against 
him,  and  fell  into  an  unpleasant  humor.  This,  how 
ever,  produced  very  little  effect  upon  any  of  tis,  for 
we  were  all  too  busy  to  notice  his  whims.  But  his 
sudden  change  of  disposition  made  me  understand 
how  correct  were  the  opinions  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 


MRS.  LECKS  AND   MBS.  ALESHINE.  97 

Aleshiue  concerning  him.  If  I  had  left  that  island 
with  my  marriage  with  Ruth  depending  upon  Mr. 
Enderton's  cooperation,  my  prospects  of  future  happi 
ness  would  have  been  at  the  mercy  of  his  caprices. 

Very  early  on  a  beautiful  morning  Ruth  and  I 
started  out  on  our  wedding  journey  in  the  long-boat. 
Mr.  Enderton  was  made  as  comfortable  as  possible  in 
the  stern,  with  Ruth  near  him.  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  sat  facing  each  other,  each  with  a  brown 
paper  package  by  her  side,  containing  the  life-pre 
server  on  which  she  had  arrived.  These  were  to  be 
ever  cherished  as  memorials  of  a  wonderful  experi 
ence.  The  three  sailors  and  I  took  turns  at  the  oars. 
The  sea  was  smooth,  and  there  was  every  reason  to 
believe  that  we  should  arrive  at  our  destination  before 
the  end  of  the  day.  Mrs.  Aleshine  had  supplied  us 
with  an  abundance  of  provisions,  and  with  the  excep 
tion  of  Mr.  Enderton,  who  had  not  been  permitted  to 
take  away  any  of  the  Dusaute  books,  we  were  a  con 
tented  party. 

"As  long  as  the  flour  held  out,"  remarked  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "I  'd  never  been  will  in'  to  leave  that  island  till 
the  Dusantes  came  back,  and  we  could  have  took 
Emily  or  Lucille,  whichever  it  was  that  kept  house, 
and  showed  her  everything  and  told  her  just  what  we 
had  done.  But  when  they  do  come  back,"  she  added, 
"  and  read  that  letter  which  Mr.  Craig  wrote  and  left 
for  them,  and  find  out  all  that  happened  in  their 
country-place  while  they  was  away;  and  how  two  of 
us  was  made  happy  for  life;  and  how  two  more  of  us, 
meanin'  Mrs.  Leeks  and  me,  have  give  up  goin'  to 
Japan,  intending  instid  of  that,  writin'  to  my  son  to 


98  MES.  LECKS  AND  MES.  ALESHINE. 

come  home  to  America,  and  settle  down  in  the  country 
he  ought  to  live  in, —  why,  then,  if  them  Dusantes 
ain't  satisfied  it 's  no  use  for  anybody  to  ever  try  to 
satisfy  'em.'' 

"I  should  think  not,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "with  the 
weddin'  cards  on  the  parlor  table,  not  a  speck  of  dust 
in  any  corner,  and  the  board-money  in  the  giuger- 

-iar  " 

jar. 

THE   END 


THE  DUSANTES 


THE  DUSANTES 

A   SEQUEL   TO 

"THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF  MRS. 
LECKS    AND    MRS.    ALESHINE" 


BY 
FRANK   R.  STOCKTON 

AUTHOR  OF  "RUDDER  GRANGE,"  "THE  LADY, 
OR  THE  TIGER?"  "THE  LATE  MRS.  NULL," 
"THE  MERRY  CHANTER,'  "THE  HUNDREDTH 
MAN,"  "THE  SQUIRREL  INN,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


NEW   YORK 

THE  CENTURY  CO. 
1892 


COPYRIGHT,   1888,   1892, 

BY  FRANK.  K.  STOCKTON. 


All  rights  reserved. 


DE  VINNE   PRESS 


THE   DUSANTES 


A  SEQUEL  TO  "THE  CASTING  AWAY  OF  MRS.  LECKS 
AND  MRS.  ALESHINE" 


HEN  the  little  party,  consisting  of 
Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  Mr. 
Enderton,  my  newly  made  wife,  and 
myself,  with  the  red-bearded  cox 
swain  and  the  two  sailor  men,  bade 
farewell  to  that  island  in  the  Pacific 
where  so  many  happy  hours  had  been  passed,  where 
such  pleasant  friendships  had  been  formed,  and  where 
I  had  met  my  Ruth  and  made  her  my  wife,  we  rowed 
away  with  a  bright  sky  over  our  heads,  a  pleasant 
wind  behind  us,  and  a  smooth  sea  beneath  us.  The 
long-boat  was  comfortable  and  well  appointed,  and 
there  was  even  room  enough  in  it  for  Mr.  Enderton 
to  stretch  himself  out  and  take  a  noon-day  nap.  We 
gave  him  every  advantage  of  this  kind,  for  we  had 
found  by  experience  that  our  party  was  happiest  when 
my  father-in-law  was  best  contented. 

7 


8  THE  DUSANTES. 

Early  in  the  forenoon  the  coxswain  rigged  a  small 
sail  in  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  with  this  aid  to  our 
steady  and  systematic  work  at  the  oars  we  reached, 
just  before  nightfall,  the  large  island  whither  we  were 
bound,  and  to  which,  by  means  of  the  coxswain's 
pocket-compass,  we  had  steered  a  direct  course.  Our 
arrival  on  this  island,  which  was  inhabited  by  some 
white  traders  and  a  moderate  population  of  natives, 
occasioned  great  surprise,  for  when  the  boats  con 
taining  the  crew  and  passengers  of  our  unfortunate 
steamer  had  reached  the  island,  it  was  found  that  Mrs. 
Leeks,  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  myself  were  missing.  There 
were  many  suppositions  as  to  our  fate.  Some  persons 
thought  we  had  been  afraid  to  leave  the  steamer,  and, 
having  secreted  ourselves  on  board,  had  gone  down 
with  her.  Others  conjectured  that  in  the  darkness 
we  had  fallen  overboard,  either  from  the  steamer  or 
from  one  of  the  boats ;  and  there  was  even  a  surmise 
that  we  might  have  embarked  in  the  leaky  small  boat 
— in  which  we  really  did  leave  the  steamer  —  and  so 
had  been  lost.  At  any  rate,  we  had  disappeared,  and 
our  loss  was  a  good  deal  talked  about,  and,  in  a  man 
ner,  mourned.  In  less  than  a  week  after  their  ar 
rival  the  people  from  the  steamer  had  been  taken  on 
board  a  sailing  vessel  and  carried  westward  to  their 
destination. 

We,  however,  were  not  so  fortunate,  for  we  remained 
on  this  island  for  more  than  a  month.  During  this 
time  but  one  ship  touched  there,  and  she  was  western 
bound  and  of  no  use  to  us,  for  we  had  determined  to 
return  to  America.  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  had 
given  up  their  journey  to  Japan,  and  were  anxious 


THE   DUSANTES.  9 

to  reach  once  more  their  country  homes,  while  my 
dear  Ruth  and  I  were  filled  with  a  desire  to  found  a 
home  on  some  pleasant  portion  of  the  Atlantic  sea 
board.  What  Mr.  Endertou  intended  to  do  we  did  not 
know.  He  was  on  his  way  to  the  United  States  when 
he  left  the  leaking  ship  on  which  he  and  his  daugh 
ter  were  passengers,  and  his  intentions  regarding  his 
journey  did  not  appear  to  have  been  altered  by  his 
mishaps. 

By  the  western-bound  vessel,  however,  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  sent  a  letter  to  her  son. 

Our  life  on  this  island  was  monotonous,  and  to  the 
majority  of  the  party  uninteresting;  but  as  it  was  the 
scene  of  our  honeymoon,  Mrs.  Craig  and  I  will  always 
look  back  to  it  with  the  most  pleasurable  recollections. 
We  were  comfortably  lodged  in  a  house  belonging 
to  one  of  the  traders,  and  although  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine  had  no  household  duties  to  occupy  their 
time,  they  managed  to  supply  themselves  with  knitting 
materials  from  the  stores  on  the  island,  and  filled  up 
their  hours  of  waiting  with  chatty  industry.  The 
pipes  of  our  sailor  friends  were  always  well  filled, 
while  the  sands  of  the  island  were  warm  and  pleasant 
for  their  backs,  and  it  was  only  Mr.  Enderton  who 
showed  any  signs  of  impatient  repining  at  our  en 
forced  stay.  He  growled,  he  grumbled,  and  he  in 
veighed  against  the  criminal  neglect  of  steamship 
companies  and  the  owners  of  sailing  craft  in  not 
making  it  compulsory  in  every  one  of  their  vessels  to 
stop  on  every  voyage  at  this  island,  where,  at  any 
time,  intelligent  and  important  personages  might  be 
stranded. 
8 


10  THE   DUSANTES. 

At  last,  however,  we  were  taken  off  by  a  three- 
masted  schooner  bound  for  San  Francisco,  at  which 
city  we  arrived  in  due  time  and  in  good  health  and 
condition. 

We  did  not  remain  long  in  this  city,  but  soon  started 
on  our  way  across  the  continent,  leaving  behind  us 
our  three  sailor  companions,  who  intended  to  ship 
from  this  port  as  soon  as  an  advantageous  opportu 
nity  offered  itself.  These  men  heard  no  news  of  their 
vessel,  although  they  felt  quite  sure  that  she  had 
reached  Honolulu,  where  she  had  probably  been  con 
demned  and  the  crew  scattered.  As  some  baggage 
belonging  to  my  wife  and  my  father-in-law  had  been 
left  on  board  this  vessel,  I  had  hopes  that  Mr.  Ender- 
ton  would  remain  in  San  Francisco  and  order  it  for 
warded  to  him  there;  or  that  he  would  even  take  a 
trip  to  Honolulu  to  attend  to  the  matter  personally. 
But  in  this  I  was  disappointed.  He  seemed  to  take 
very  little  interest  in  his  missing  trunks,  and  wished 
only  to  press  on  to  the  East.  I  wrote  to  Honolulu, 
desiring  the  necessary  steps  to  be  taken  to  forward 
the  baggage  in  case  it  had  arrived  there;  and  soon 
afterward  our  party  of  five  started  eastward. 

It  was  now  autumn,  but,  although  we  desired  to 
reach  the  end  of  our  journey  before  winter  set  in.  we 
felt  that  we  had  time  enough  to  visit  some  of  the  nat 
ural  wonders  of  the  California  country  before  taking 
up  our  direct  course  to  the  East.  Therefore,  in  spite 
of  some  petulant  remonstrances  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Enderton,  we  made  several  trips  to  points  of  interest. 

From  the  last  of  these  excursions  we  set  out  in  a 
stage-coach,  of  which  we  were  the  only  occupants, 


THE  DUSANTES.  11 

toward  a  point  on  the  railroad  where  we  expected  to 
take  a  train.  On  the  way  we  stopped  to  change  horses 
at  a  small  stage-station  at  the  foot  of  a  range  of 
mountains;  and  when  I  descended  from  the  coach  I 
found  the  driver  and  some  of  the  men  at  the  station 
discussing  the  subject  of  our  route.  It  appeared  that 
there  were  two  roads,  one  of  which  gradually  as 
cended  the  mountain  for  several  miles,  and  then  de 
scended  to  the  level  of  the  railroad,  by  the  side  of 
which  it  ran  until  it  reached  the  station  where  we 
wished  to  take  the  train.  The  other  road  pursued  its 
way  along  a  valley  or  notch  in  the  mountain  for  a 
considerable  distance,  and  then,  by  a  short  but  some 
what  steep  ascending  grade,  joined  the  upper  road. 

It  was  growing  quite  cold,  and  the  sky  and  the  wind 
indicated  that  bad  weather  might  be  expected;  and 
as  the  upper  road  was  considered  the  better  one  at 
such  a  time,  our  driver  concluded  to  take  it.  Six 
horses,  instead  of  four,  were  now  attached  to  our 
stage,  and  as  two  of  these  animals  were  young  and 
unruly  and  promised  to  be  unusually  difficult  to  drive 
in  the  ordinary  way,  our  driver  concluded  to  ride  one 
of  the  wheel-horses,  postilion  fashion  and  to  put  a 
boy  on  one  of  the  leaders.  Mr.  Enderton  was  very 
much  afraid  of  horses,  and  objected  strongly  to  the 
young  animals  in  our  new  team.  But  there  were  no 
others  to  take  their  places,  and  his  protests  were  dis 
regarded. 

My  wife  and  I  occupied  a  back  seat,  having  been 
ordered  to  take  this  comfortable  position  by  Mrs. 
Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  had  constituted  them 
selves  a  board  of  instruction  and  admonition  to  Mrs. 


12  THE   DUSANTES. 

Craig,  and  incidentally  to  myself.  They  fancied  that 
my  wife's  health  was  not  vigorous,  and  that  she  needed 
coddling ;  and  if  she  had  had  two  mothers  she  could 
not  have  been  more  tenderly  cared  for  than  by  these 
good  women.  They  sat  upon  the  middle  seat  with 
their  faces  toward  the  horses,  while  Mr.  Enderton 
had  the  front  seat  all  to  himself.  He  was,  however, 
so  nervous  and  fidgety,  continually  twisting  himself 
about,  endeavoring  to  get  a  view  of  the  horses  or  of 
the  bad  places  on  the  road,  that  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  found  that  a  position  facing  him  and  in  close 
juxtaposition  was  entirely  too  uncomfortable;  and 
consequently,  the  back  of  their  seat  being  adjustable, 
they  turned  themselves  about  and  faced  us. 

The  ascent  of  the  mountain  was  slow  and  tedious, 
and  it  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  we  reached  the 
highest  point  in  our  route,  from  wrhich  the  road  de 
scended  for  some  eight  miles  to  the  level  of  the  rail 
road.  Now  our  pace  became  rapid,  and  Mr.  Euderton 
grew  wildly  excited.  He  threw  open  the  window  and 
shouted  to  the  driver  to  go  more  slowly,  but  Mrs. 
Leeks  seized  him  by  the  coat  and  jerked  him  back  on 
his  seat  before  he  could  get  any  answer  to  his  appeals. 

"  If  you  want  your  daughter  to  ketch  her  death  o' 
cold  you  '11  keep  that  window  open!"  As  she  said 
this,  she  leaned  back  and  pulled  the  window  down 
with  her  own  strong  right  arm.  "  I  guess  the  driver 
knows  what  he  is  about,"  she  continued,  "  this  not 
bein'  the  first  time  he  's  gone  over  the  road." 

"  Am  I  to  understand,  madam,"  said  Mr.  Enderton, 
"  that  I  am  not  to  speak  to  my  driver  when  I  wish 
him  to  know  my  will  ?  " 


THE    DUSANTES.  13 

To  this  question  Mrs.  Leeks  made  no  answer,  but 
sat  up  very  straight  and  stiff,  with  her  back  square 
upon  the  speaker.  For  some  time  she  and  Mr.  Ender- 
ton  had  been  "out,"  and  she  made  no  effort  to  conceal 
the  fact. 

Mr.  Enderton's  condition  now  became  pitiable,  for 
our  rapid  speed  and  the  bumping  over  rough  places 
in  the  road  seemed  almost  to  deprive  him  of  his  wits, 
notwithstanding  my  assurance  that  stage-coaches  were 
generally  driven  at  a  rapid  rate  down  long  inclines. 
In  a  short  time,  however,  we  reached  a  level  spot  in 
the  road,  and  the  team  was  drawn  up  and  stopped. 
Mr.  Enderton  popped  out  in  a  moment,  and  I  also  got 
down  to  have  a  talk  with  the  driver. 

"  These  hosses  won't  do  much  at  holdin7  back,"  he 
said,  "  and  it  worries  'em  less  to  let  ;em  go  ahead  with 
the  wheels  locked.  Yon  need  n't  be  afraid.  If  nothin' 
breaks,  we  're  all  right." 

Mr.  Enderton  seemed  endeavoring  to  satisfy  him 
self  that  everything  about  the  running-gear  of  the 
coach  was  in  a  safe  condition.  He  examined  the 
wheels,  the  axles,  and  the  whiffletrees,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  the  driver,  who  remarked  to  me  that 
the  old  chap  probably  knew  as  much  now  as  he  did 
before.  I  was  rather  surprised  that  my  father-in-law 
subjected  the  driver  to  no  further  condemnation.  On 
the  contrary,  he  said  nothing  except  that  for  the  rest 
of  this  down-hill  drive  he  should  take  his  place  on 
the  driver's  unoccupied  seat.  Nobody  offered  any 
objection  to  this,  and  up  he  climbed. 

When  we  started  again.  Ruth  seemed  disturbed  that 
her  father  should  be  in  such  an  exposed  position,  but 


14  THE   DUSANTES. 

I  assured  her  that  he  would  be  perfectly  safe,  and 
would  be  much  better  satisfied  at  being  able  to  see  for 
himself  what  was  going  on. 

We  now  began  to  go  down-hill  again  at  a  rate  as 
rapid  as  before.  Our  speed,  however,  was  not  equal. 
Sometimes  it  would  slacken  a  little  where  the  road 
was  heavy  or  more  upon  a  level,  and  then  we  would 
go  jolting  and  rattling  over  some  long  downward 
stretch.  After  a  particularly  unpleasant  descent  of 
this  kind  the  coach  seemed  suddenly  to  change  its 
direction,  and  with  a  twist  and  an  uplifting  of  one  side 
it  bumped  heavily  against  something  and  stopped.  I 
heard  a  great  shout  outside,  and  from  a  window  which 
now  commanded  a  view  of  the  road  I  saw  our  team 
of  six  horses,  with  the  drivers  pulling  and  tugging  at 
the  two  they  rode,  madly  running  away  at  the  top  of 
their  speed. 

Ruth,  who  had  been  thrown  by  the  shock  into  the 
arms  of  Mrs.  Aleshine,  was  dreadfully  frightened,  and 
screamed  for  her  father.  I  had  been  pitched  forward 
upon  Mrs.  Leeks,  but  I  quickly  recovered  myself,  and  as 
soon  as  I  found  that  none  of  the  occupants  of  the  coach 
had  been  hurt,  I  opened  the  door  and  sprang  out. 

In  the  middle  of  the  road  stood  Mr.  Enderton, 
entirely  uninjured,  with  a  jubilant  expression  on  his 
face,  and  in  one  hand  a  large  closed  umbrella. 

"  What  has  happened  ? "  I  exclaimed,  hurrying 
around  to  the  front  of  the  coach,  where  I  saw  that 
the  pole  had  been  broken  off  about  the  middle  of  its 
length. 

"  Nothing  has  happened,  sir,"  replied  Mr.  Enderton. 
"  You  cannot  speak  of  a  wise  and  discreet  act,  deter- 


THE  DUSANTES.  15 

minately  performed,  as  a  thing  which  has  happened. 
We  have  been  saved,  sir,  from  being  dashed  to  pieces 
behind  that  wild  and  unmanageable  team  of  horses ; 
and  I  will  add  that  we  have  been  saved  by  my  fore 
thought  and  prompt  action." 

I  turned  and  looked  at  him  in  astonishment.  "  What 
do  you  mean  '? ''  I  said.  "  What  could  you  have  had 
to  do  with  this  accident  ? " 

''Allow  me  to  repeat/'  said  Mr.  Enderton,  "that  it 
was  not  an  accident.  The  moment  that  we  began  to 
go  down-hill  I  perceived  that  we  were  in  a  position 
of  the  greatest  danger.  The  driver  was  reckless,  the 
boy  incompetent,  and  the  horses  unmanageable.  As 
my  remonstrances  and  counsels  had  no  effect  upon 
the  man,  and  as  you  seemed  to  have  no  desire  to 
join  me  in  efforts  to  restrain  him  to  a  more  prudent 
rate  of  speed,  I  determined  to  take  the  affair  into 
my  own  hands.  I  knew  that  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  was  to  rid  ourselves  of  those  horses.  So  long 
as  we  were  connected  with  them  disaster  was  immi 
nent.  I  knew  exactly  what  ought  to  be  done.  The 
horses  must  be  detached  from  the  coach.  I  had  read, 
sir,  of  inventions  especially  intended  to  detach  run 
away  horses  from  a  vehicle.  To  all  intents  and 
purposes  our  horses  were  runaways,  or  would  have 
become  so  in  a  very  short  time.  I  now  made  it  my 
object  to  free  ourselves  from  those  horses.  I  got  out 
at  our  first  stop  and  thoroughly  examined  the  carriage 
attachments.  I  found  that  the  movable  bar  to  which 
the  whiffletrees  were  attached  was  connected  to  the 
vehicle  by  two  straps  and  a  bolt,  the  latter  having 
a  ring  at  the  top  and  an  iron  nut  at  the  bottom. 


16  THE  DUSANTES. 

While  you  and  that  reckless  driver  were  talking  to 
gether  and  paying  no  attention  to  me,  the  only  per 
son  in  the  party  who  thoroughly  comprehended  our 
danger,  I  unbuckled  those  straps,  and  with  my  strong, 
nervous  fingers,  without  the  aid  of  implements,  I  un 
screwed  the  nut  from  the  bolt.  Then,  sir,  I  took  my 
seat  on  the  outside  of  the  coach  and  felt  that  I  held 
our  safety  in  my  own  hands.  For  a  time  I  allowed 
our  vehicle  to  proceed,  but  when  we  approached  this 
long  slope  which  stretches  before  us,  and  our  horses 
showed  signs  of  increasing  impetuosity,  I  leaned 
forward,  hooked  the  handle  of  my  umbrella  in  the 
ring  of  the  bolt,  and  with  a  mighty  effort  jerked  it 
out.  I  admit  to  you,  sir,  that  I  had  overlooked  the 
fact  that  the  other  horses  were  attached  to  the  end  of 
the  pole,  but  I  have  often  noticed  that  when  we  are 
discreet  in  judgment  and  prompt  in  action  we  are  also 
fortunate.  Thus  was  I  fortunate.  The  hindermost 
horses,  suddenly  released,  rushed  upon  those  in  front 
of  them,  and,  in  a  manner,  jumbled  up  the  whole 
team,  which  seemed  to  throw  the  animals  into  such 
terror  that  they  dashed  to  one  side  and  snapped  off 
the  pole,  after  which  they  went  madly  tearing  down 
the  road,  entirely  beyond  the  control  of  the  two  riders. 
Our  coach  turned  and  ran  into  the  side  of  the  road 
with  but  a  moderate  concussion,  and  as  I  looked  at 
those  flying  steeds,  with  their  riders  vainly  endeavor 
ing  to  restrain  them,  I  could  not,  sir,  keep  down  an 
emotion  of  pride  that  I  had  been  instrumental  in  free 
ing  myself,  my  daughter,  and  my  traveling  compan 
ions  from  their  dangerous  proximity." 

The  speaker  ceased,  a  smile  of  conscious  merit  upon 


THE   DUSANTES.  17 

his  face.  For  the  moment  I  could  not  say  a  word  to 
him,  I  was  so  angry.  But  had  I  been  able  to  say  or 
do  anything  to  indicate  the  wild  indignation  that 
filled  my  brain,  I  should  have  had  no  opportunity, 
for  Mrs.  Leeks  stepped  up  to  me  and  took  me  by 
the  arm.  Her  face  was  very  stern,  and  her  ex 
pression  gave  one  the  idea  of  the  rigidity  of  Bessemer 
steel. 

"I  've  heard  what  has  been  said,"  she  remarked, 
uand  I  wish  to  talk  to  this  man.  Your  wife  is  over 
there  with  Mrs.  Aleshine.  Will  you  please  take  a 
walk  with  her  along  the  road?  You  may  stay  away 
for  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

u  Madam,"  said  Mr.  Euderton,  "I  do  not  wish  to 
talk  to  you." 

"I  did  n't  ask  you  whether  you  did  or  not/'  said 
Mrs.  Leeks.  "Mr.  Craig,  will  you  please  get  your 
wife  away  as  quick  and  as  far  as  you  can'?" 

I  took  the  hint,  and,  with  Ruth  on  my  arm,  walked 
rapidly  down  the  road.  She  was  very  glad  to  go,  for 
she  had  been  much  frightened,  and  wanted  to  be 
alone  with  me  to  have  me  explain  to  her  what  had 
occurred.  Mrs.  Leeks,  imagining  from  the  expression 
of  his  countenance  that  Mr.  Enderton  had,  in  some 
way,  been  at  the  bottom  of  the  trouble,  and  fearing 
that  she  should  not  be  able  to  restrain  her  indignation 
when  she  found  how  he  had  done  it,  had  ordered  Mrs. 
Aleshine  to  keep  Ruth  away  from  her  father.  This 
action  had  increased  the  poor  girl's  anxiety,  and  she 
was  glad  enough  to  have  me  take  her  away  and  tell 
her  all  about  our  accident. 

I  did  tell  her  all  that  had  happened,  speaking  as 


18  THE  DUSANTES. 

mildly  as  I  could  of  Mr.  Endertou's  conduct.  Poor 
Ruth  burst  into  tears. 

>;I  do  wish,"  she  exclaimed,  ''that  father  would 
travel  by  himself!  He  is  so  nervous,  and  so  easily 
frightened,  that  I  am  sure  he  would  be  happier  when 
he  could  attend  to  his  safety  iu  his  own  way;  and 
I  know,  too,  that  we  should  be  happier  without  him." 

I  agreed  most  heartily  with  these  sentiments,  al 
though  I  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  say  so,  and  Ruth 
now  asked  me  what  I  supposed  would  become  of  us. 

"  If  nothing  happens  to  the  driver  and  the  boy,"  I 
replied,  "  I  suppose  they  will  go  on  until  they  get  to 
the  station  to  which  we  were  bound,  and  there  they 
will  procure  a  pole,  if  such  a  thing  can  be  found,  or, 
perhaps,  get  another  coach,  and  come  back  for  us.  It 
would  be  useless  for  them  to  return  to  our  coach  in 
its  present  condition." 

"And  how  soon  do  you  think  they  will  come  back  ? " 
she  said. 

'•  Not  for  some  hours,"  I  replied.  "  The  driver  told 
me  there  were  no  houses  between  the  place  where  we 
last  stopped  and  the  railroad  station,  and  I  am  sure 
he  will  not  turn  back  until  he  reaches  a  place  where 
he  can  get  either  a  new  pole  or  another  vehicle." 

Ruth  and  I  walked  to  a  turn  at  the  bottom  of  the 
long  hill  down  which  our  runaway  steeds  had  sped. 
At  this  point  we  had  an  extended  view  of  the  road  as 
it  wound  along  the  mountain-side,  but  we  could  see 
no  signs  of  our  horses  nor  of  any  living  thing.  I  did 
not,  in  fact,  expect  to  see  our  team,  for  it  would  be 
foolish  in  the  driver  to  come  back  until  he  was  pre 
pared  to  do  something  for  us,  and  even  if  he  had  sue- 


THE   DUSANTES.  19 

ceeded  in  controlling  the  runaway  beasts,  the  quicker 
he  got  down  the  mountain  the  better. 

By  the  time  we  had  returned  we  had  taken  quite 
a  long  walk,  but  we  were  glad  of  it,  for  the  exercise 
tranquilized  us  both.  On  our  way  back  we  noticed 
that  a  road  which  seemed  to  come  up  from  below  us 
joined  the  one  we  were  on  a  short- distance  from  the 
place  where  our  accident  occurred.  This,  probably, 
was  the  lower  road  which  had  been  spoken  of  when 
we  changed  horses. 

We  found  Mr.  Enderton  standing  by  himself.  His 
face  was  of  the  hue  of  wood-ashes,  his  expression  hag 
gard.  He  reminded  me  of  a  man  who  had  fallen  from 
a  considerable  height,  and  who  had  been  frightened 
and  stupefied  by  the  shock.  I  comprehended  the  sit 
uation  without  difficulty,  and  felt  quite  sure  that  had 
he  had  the  choice  he  would  have  much  preferred  a 
thrashing  to  the  plain  talk  he  had  heard  from  Mrs. 
Leeks. 

"  What  is  the  matter,  father  ? "  exclaimed  Ruth. 
"  Were  you  hurt u? " 

Mr.  Enderton  looked  in  a  dazed  way  at  his  daugh 
ter,  and  it  was  some  moments  before  he  appeared  to 
have  heard  what  she  said.  Then  he  answered  abruptly : 
"  Hurt?  Oh,  no !  I  am  not  hurt  in  the  least.  I  was 
just  thinking  of  something.  I  shall  walk  on  to  the  vil 
lage  or  town,  whichever  it  is,  to  which  that  man  was 
taking  us.  It  cannot  be  more  than  seven  or  eight 
miles  away,  if  that.  The  road  is  down-hill,  and  I  can 
easily  reach  the  place  before  nightfall.  I  will  then  per 
sonally  attend  to  your  rescue,  and  will  see  that  a  vehi 
cle  is  immediately  sent  to  you.  There  is  no  trusting 


20  THE   DUSANTES. 

these  ignorant  drivers.  No,"  he  continued,  deprecat- 
ingly  raising  his  hand,  "do  not  attempt  to  dissuade 
me.  Your  safety  and  that  of  others  is  always  my  first 
care.  Exertion  is  nothing." 

Without  further  words,  arid  paying  no  attention  to 
the  remonstrances  of  his  daughter,  he  strode  off  down 
the  road. 

I  was  very  glad  to  see  him  go.  At  any  time  his 
presence  was  undesirable  to  me,  and  under  the  present 
circumstances  it  would  be  more  objectionable  than 
ever.  He  was  a  good  walker,  and  there  was  no  doubt 
he  would  easily  reach  the  station,  where  he  might  pos 
sibly  be  of  some  use  to  us. 

Mrs.  Leeks  was  sitting  on  a  stone  by  the  roadside. 
Her  face  was  still  stern  and  rigid,  but  there  was  an 
expression  of  satisfaction  upon  it  which  had  not  been 
there  when  I  left  her.  Ruth  went  to  the  coach  to  get 
a  shawl,  and  I  said  to  Mrs.  Leeks : 

"  I  suppose  you  had  your  talk  with  Mr.  Enderton  ?" 

"  Talk  ! "  she  replied.  "  I  should  say  so  !  If  ever  a 
man  understands  what  people  think  of  him,  and  knows 
what  he  is,  from  his  crown  to  his  feet,  inside  and  out 
side,  soul,  body,  bones,  and  skin,  and  what  he  may  ex 
pect  in  this  world  and  the  next,  he  knows  it.  I  did  n't 
keep  to  what  he  has  done  for  us  this  day.  I  went  back 
to  the  first  moment  when  he  began  to  growl  at  payin' 
his  honest  board  on  the  island,  and  I  did  n't  let  him 
off  for  a  single  sin  that  he  has  committed  since.  And 
now  I  feel  that  I  Ve  done  my  duty  as  far  as  he  is  con 
cerned  ;  and  havin'  got  through  with  that,  it 's  time  we 
were  lookin'  about  to  see  what  we  can  do  for  ourselves." 

It  was  indeed  time,  for  the  day  was  drawing  toward 


THE  DUSANTES.  21 

its  close.  For  a  moment  I  had  thought  we  would  give 
Mr.  Enderton  a  good  start,  and  then  follow  him  down 
the  mountain  to  the  station.  But  a  little  reflection 
showed  me  that  this  plan  would  not  answer.  Ruth 
was  not  strong  enough  to  walk  so  far;  and  although 
Mrs.  Aleshine  had  plenty  of  vigor,  she  was  too  plump 
to  attempt  such  a  tramp.  Besides,  the  sky  was  so 
heavily  overcast  that  it  was  not  safe  to  leave  the  shel 
ter  of  the  coach. 

As  might  have  been  expected,  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  took  immediate  charge  of  the  personal  com 
fort  of  the  party,  and  the  first  thing  they  did  was  to 
make  preparations  for  a  meal.  Fortunately,  we  had 
plenty  of  provisions.  Mrs.  Aleshiue  had  had  charge 
of  what  she  called  our  lunch-baskets,  which  were,  in 
deed,  much  more  like  market-baskets  than  anything 
else ;  and  having  small  faith  in  the  resources  of  road 
side  taverns,  and  great  faith  in  the  unlimited  capa 
bilities  of  Mr.  Enderton  in  the  matter  of  consuming 
food  on  a  journey,  she  had  provided  bounteously  and 
even  extravagantly. 

One  side  of  the  road  was  bordered  by  a  forest,  and 
on  the  ground  was  an  abundance  of  dead  wrood.  I 
gathered  a  quantity  of  this,  and  made  a  fire,  which 
was  very  grateful  to  us,  for  the  air  was  growing  colder 
and  colder.  When  we  had  eaten  a  substantial  cold 
supper  and  had  thoroughly  warmed  ourselves  at  the 
fire,  we  got  into  the  coach  to  sit  there  and  wait  until 
relief  should  come.  We  sat  for  a  long  time;  all  night, 
in  fact.  We  were  not  uncomfortable,  for  we  each  had 
a  corner  of  the  coach,  and  we  were  plentifully  provided 
with  wraps  and  rugs. 


22  THE  DUSANTES. 

Contrary  to  their  usual  habit,  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  did  not  talk  much.  When  subjected  to  the 
annoyances  of  an  ordinary  accident,  even  if  it  should 
have  been  the  result  of  carelessness,  their  disposition 
would  have  prompted  them  to  take  events  as  they 
came,  and  to  make  the  best  of  whatever  might  happen 
to  them.  But  this  case  was  entirely  different.  We 
were  stranded  and  abandoned  on  the  road,  on  the  side 
of  a  lonely,  desolate  mountain,  on  a  cold,  bleak  night ; 
and  all  this  was  the  result  of  what  they  considered  the 
deliberate  and  fiendish  act  of  a  man  who  was  afraid 
of  horses,  and  who  cared  for  no  one  in  the  world  but 
himself.  Their  minds  were  in  such  a  condition  that 
if  they  said  anything  they  must  vituperate,  and  they 
were  so  kindly  disposed  toward  my  wife,  and  had  such 
a  tender  regard  for  her  feelings,  that  they  would  not, 
in  her  presence,  vituperate  her  father.  So  they  said 
very  little,  and,  nestling  into  their  corners,  were  soon 
asleep. 

After  a  time  Ruth  followed  their  example,  and, 
though  I  was  very  anxiously  watching  out  of  the  win 
dow  for  an  approaching  light,  and  listening  for  the 
sound  of  wheels,  I,  too,  fell  into  a  doze.  It  must  have 
been  ten  or  eleven  o'clock  when  I  was  awakened  by 
some  delicate  but  cold  touches  on  my  face,  the  nature 
of  which,  when  I  first  opened  my  eyes,  I  could  not 
comprehend.  But  I  soon  understood  what  these  cold 
touches  meant.  The  window  in  the  door  of  the  coach 
on  my  side  had  been  slightly  lowered  from  the  top  to 
give  us  air,  and  through  the  narrow  aperture  the  cold 
particles  had  come  floating  in.  I  looked  through  the 
window.  The  night  was  not  very  dark,  for,  although 


THE   DUSANTES.  23 

the  sky  was  overcast,  the  moon  was  in  its  second 
quarter,  and  I  could  plainly  see  that  it  was  snowing, 
and  that  the  ground  was  already  white. 

This  discovery  sent  a  chill  into  my  soul,  for  I  was 
not  unfamiliar  with  snows  in  mountain  regions,  and 
knew  well  what  this  might  mean  to  us.  But  there 
was  nothing  that  we  could  now  do,  and  it  would  be 
useless  and  foolish  to  awaken  my  companions  and 
distress  them  with  this  new  disaster.  Besides,  I 
thought  our  situation  might  not  be  so  very  bad,  after 
all.  It  was  not  yet  winter,  and  the  snowfall  might 
prove  to  be  but  a  light  one.  I  gently  closed  the 
window,  and  made  my  body  comfortable  in  its  corner, 
but  my  mind  continued  very  uncomfortable  for  I  do 
not  know  how  long. 

When  I  awoke,  I  found  that  there  had  been  a  heavy 
fall  of  snow  in  the  night,  and  that  the  flakes  were  still 
coming  down,  thick  and  fast.  When  Ruth  first  looked 
out  upon  the  scene  she  was  startled  and  dismayed. 
She  was  not  accustomed  to  storms  of  this  kind,  and 
the  snow  frightened  her.  Upon  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  the  sight  of  the  storm  produced  an  entirely 
different  effect.  Here  was  a  difficulty,  a  discomfort, 
a  hardship,  but  it  came  in  a  natural  way,  and  not  by 
the  hand  of  a  dastardly  coward  of  a  man.  With 
naturally  happening  difficulties  they  were  accustomed 
to  combat  without  fear  or  repining.  They  knew  all 
about  snow,  and  were  not  frightened  by  this  storm. 
The  difficulties  which  it  presented  to  their  minds  actu 
ally  raised  their  spirits,  and  from  the  grim  and  quiet 
beings  of  the  last  evening  they  became  the  same  cheer 
ful,  dauntless,  ready  women  that  I  had  known  before. 


24  THE   DUSANTES. 

"Upon  my  word,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  as  she 
clapped  her  face  to  a  window  of  the  coach,  "if  this 
is  n't  a  reg'lar  old-fashioned  snow-storm !  I  've  shov 
eled  my  own  way  through  many  a  one  like  it  to  git 
to  the  barn  to  do  my  milkin'  afore  the  men  folks  had 
begun  makin'  paths,  and  I  feel  jus'  like  as  though  I 
could  do  it  ag'in." 

"  Now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  if 
you  're  thinkin'  of  shoveliii'  your  way  from  this  place 
to  where  your  cows  is,  you'd  better  step  right  out 
and  get  at  it,  and  I  really  do  think  that  if  you  felt 
they  were  sufferin'  for  want  of  milkin'  you  'd  make 
a  start." 

"I  don't  say,"  answered  Mrs.  Aleshine,  with  an 
illuminating  grin,  "  that  if  the  case  was  that  way  I 
might  n't  have  the  hankerin'  though  not  the  capable- 
ness,  but  I  don't  know  that  there 's  any  place  to  shovel 
our  way  to  jus'  now." 

Mrs.  Leeks  and  I  thought  differently.  Across  the 
road,  under  the  great  trees,  the  ground  was  compar 
atively  free  from  snow,  and  in  some  places,  owing  to 
the  heavy  evergreen  foliage,  it  was  entirely  bare.  It 
was  very  desirable  that  we  should  get  to  one  of  these 
spots  and  build  a  fire,  for,  though  we  had  been  well 
wrapped  up,  we  all  felt  numbed  and  cold.  In  the  boot 
at  the  back  of  the  coach  I  knew  that  there  was  an  ax, 
and  I  thought  I  might  possibly  find  there  a  shovel.  I 
opened  the  coach  door  and  saw  that  the  snow  was 
already  above  the  lower  step.  By  standing  on  the 
spokes  of  the  back  wheel  I  could  easily  get  at  the 
boot,  and  I  soon  pulled  out  the  ax,  but  found  no 
shovel.  But  this  did  not  deter  me.  I  made  my  way 


THE   DUSANTES.  25 

to  the  front  wheel  and  climbed  up  to  the  driver's  box, 
where  I  knocked  off  one  of  the  thin  planks  of  the 
foot-board,  and  this,  with  the  ax,  I  shaped  into  a  rude 
shovel  with  a  handle  rather  too  wide  but  serviceable. 
With  this  I  went  vigorously  to  work,  and  soon  had 
made  a  pathway  across  the  road.  Here  I  chopped  off 
some  low  dead  branches,  picked  up  others,  and  soon 
had  a  crackling  fire,  around  which  my  three  com 
panions  gathered  with  delight. 

A  strong  wind  was  now  blowing,  and  the  snow 
began  to  form  into  heavy  drifts.  The  fire  was  very 
cheery  and  pleasant,  but  the  wind  was  cutting,  and 
we  soon  returned -to  the  shelter  of  the  coach,  where 
we  had  our  breakfast.  This  was  not  altogether  a  cold 
meal,  for  Mrs.  Aleshine  had  provided  a  little  tea-kettle, 
and,  with  some  snow-water  which  I  brought  in  boiling 
from  the  fire  in  the  woods,  we  had  all  the  hot  and 
comforting  tea  we  wanted. 

We  passed  the  morning  waiting  and  looking  out 
and  wondering  what  sort  of  conveyance  would  be 
sent  for  us.  It  was  generally  agreed  that  nothing  on 
wheels  could  now  be  got  over  the  road,  and  that  we 
must  be  taken  away  in  a  sleigh. 

"I  like  sleigh-ridin',"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  if  you  're 
well  wrapped  up,  with  good  hosses,  and  a  hot  brick  for 
your  feet;  but  I  must  say  I  don't  know  but  what  I  'm 
goin'  to  be  a  little  skeery  goin'  down  these  long  hills. 
If  we  git  fairly  slidin',  hosses,  sleigh,  and  all  together, 
there  's  no  knowin'  where  we  '11  fetch  up." 

"  There  's  one  comfort,  Barb'ry,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Leeks, "  and  that  is  that  when  we  do  fetch  up  it  '11  be 
at  the  bottom  of  the  hills,  and  not  at  the  top  ;  and  as 
9 


26  THE   DUSANTES. 

the  bottom  is  what  we  want  to  get  to,  we  ought  n't  to 
complain." 

"  That  depends  a  good  deal  whether  we  come  down 
hind  part  foremost,  or  fore  part  front.  But  nobody  's 
complainin'  so  fur,  'specially  as  the  sleigh  is  n't  here." 

I  joined  in  the  outlooking  and  the  conjectures,  but 
I  could  not  keep  up  the  cheerful  courage  which  ani 
mated  my  companions ;  for  not  only  were  the  two 
elder  women  bright  and  cheery,  but  Ruth  seemed  to 
be  animated  and  encouraged  by  their  example,  and 
showed  herself  as  brave  and  contented  as  either  of 
them.  She  was  convinced  that  her  father  must  have 
reached  the  railroad-station  before  it  began  to  snow, 
and,  therefore,  she  was  troubled  by  no  fears  for  his 
safety.  But  my  mind  was  filled  with  many  fears. 

The  snow  was  still  coming  down,  thick  and  fast, 
and  the  wind  was  piling  it  into  great  drifts,  one  of 
which  was  forming  between  the  coach  and  a  low  em 
bankment  on  that  side  of  the  road  near  which  it 
stood. 

About  every  half  hour  I  took  my  shovel  and  cleared 
out  the  path  across  the  road  from  the  other  side  of 
the  coach  to  the  woods.  Several  times  after  doing 
this  I  made  my  way  among  the  trees,  where  the  snow 
did  not  impede  my  progress,  to  points  from  which  I 
had  a  view  some  distance  down  the  mountain,  and 
I  could  plainly  see  that  there  were  several  places 
where  the  road  was  blocked  up  by  huge  snow-drifts. 
It  would  be  a  slow,  laborious,  and  difficult  undertak 
ing  for  any  relief  party  to  come  to  us  from  the  station ; 
and  who  was  there,  at  that  place,  to  come  ?  This  was 
the  question  which  most  troubled  me.  The  settlement 


THE   DUSANTES.  27 

at  the  station  was,  probably,  a  very  small  one,  and  that 
there  should  be  found  at  that  place  a  sleigh  or  a  sledge 
with  enough  men  to  form  a  party  sufficiently  strong 
to  open  a  road  up  the  mountain-side  was  scarcely  to 
be  expected.  Men  and  vehicles  might  be  obtained  at 
some  point  farther  along  the  railroad,  but  action  of 
this  kind  would  require  time,  and  it  was  not  unlikely 
that  the  railroad  itself  was  blocked  up  with  snow.  I 
could  form  no  idea,  satisfactory  to  myself,  of  any  plan 
by  which  relief  could  come  to  us  that  day.  Even  the 
advent  of  a  messenger  on  horseback  was  not  to  be 
expected.  Such  an  adventurer  would  be  lost  in  the 
storm  and  among  the  drifts.  On  the  morrow  relief 
might  come,  but  I  did  not  like  to  think  too  much 
about  the  morrow ;  and  of  any  of  my  thoughts  and 
fears  I  said  nothing  to  my  companions. 

At  intervals,  after  I  had  freshly  cleared  out  the 
pathway,  the  three  women,  well  bundled  up,  ran  across 
the  road  to  the  fire  under  the  trees.  This  was  the  only 
way  in  which  they  could  keep  themselves  warm,  for 
the  coach,  although  it  protected  us  from  the  storm, 
was  a  very  cold  place  to  sit  in.  But  the  wind  and  the 
snow  which  frequently  drove  in  under  the  trees  made 
it  impossible  to  stay  very  long  by  the  fire,  and  the  fre 
quent  passages  to  and  from  the  coach  were  attended 
with  much  exposure  and  wetting  of  feet.  I  therefore 
determined  that  some  better  way  must  be  devised  for 
keeping  ourselves  warm ;  and,  shortly  after  our  noon 
day  meal,  I  thought  of  a  plan,  and  immediately  set  to 
work  to  carry  it  out. 

The  drift  between  the  coach  and  the  embankment 
had  now  risen  higher  than  the  top  of  the  vehicle, 


28  THE   DUSANTES. 

against  one  side  of  which  it  was  tightly  packed.  I 
dug  a  path  around  the  back  of  the  coach,  and  then 
began  to  tunnel  into  the  huge  bank  of  snow.  In 
about  an  hour  I  had  made  an  excavation  nearly  high 
enough  for  me  to  stand  in,  and  close  to  the  stage 
door  on  that  side;  and  I  cleared  away  the  snow  so 
that  this  door  could  open  into  the  cavern  I  had 
formed.  At  the  end  opposite  the  entrance  of  my 
cave,  I  worked  a  hole  upward  until  I  reached  the 
outer  air.  This  hole  was  about  a  foot  in  diameter, 
and  for  some  time  the  light  unpacked  snow  from 
above  kept  falling  in  and  filling  it  up;  but  I  managed, 
by  packing  and  beating  the  sides  with  my  shovel,  to 
get  the  whole  into  a  condition  in  which  it  would  re 
tain  the  form  of  a  rude  chimney. 

Now  I  hurried  to  bring  wood  and  twigs,  and  hav 
ing  made  a  hearth  of  green  sticks,  which  I  cut  with 
my  ax,  I  built  a  fire  in  this  snowy  fireplace.  Mrs. 
Leeks,  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  Ruth  had  been  watching 
my  proceedings  with  great  interest;  and  when  the 
fire  began  to  burn,  and  the  smoke  to  go  out  of  my 
chimney,  the  coach  door  was  opened,  and  the  genial 
heat  gradually  pervaded  the  vehicle. 

"Upon  my  word,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "if 
that  is  n't  one  of  the  brightest  ideas  I  ever  heard  of ! 
A  fire  in  the  middle  of  a  snowbank,  with  a  man  there 
attendin'  to  it,  an'  a  chimney!  'T  is  n't  every  day 
that  you  can  see  a  thing  like  that ! " 

"  I  should  hope  not,"  remarked  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  for  if 
the  snow  drifted  this  way  every  day,  I  'd  be  ready  to 
give  up  the  seein'  business  out  and  out !  But  I  think, 
Mr.  Craig,  you  ought  to  pass  that  shovel  in  to  us  so 


THE   DUSANTES.  29 

that  we  can  dig  you  out  when  the  fire  begins  to  melt 
your  little  house  and  it  all  caves  in  on  you." 

"  You  can  have  the  shovel,"  said  I,  "but  I  don't  be 
lieve  this  snowbank  will  cave  in  on  me.  Of  course 
the  heat  will  melt  the  snow,  but  I  think  it  will  dis 
solve  gradually,  so  that  the  caving  in,  if  there  is  any, 
won't  be  of  much  account,  and  then  we  shall  have  a 
big  open  space  here  in  which  we  can  keep  up  our 
fire." 

"  Oh,  dear ! "  exclaimed  Ruth,  "  you  talk  as  if  you 
expected  to  stay  here  ever  so  long,  and  we  certainly 
can't  do  that.  We  should  starve  to  death,  for  one 
thing." 

"  Don't  be  afraid  of  that,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine. 
11  There  's  plenty  of  victuals  to  last  till  the  people 
come  for  us.  When  I  pack  baskets  for  travelin'  or 
picnickin',  I  don't  do  no  scrimpin'.  An'  we  've  got 
to  keep  up  a  fire,  you  know,  for  it  would  n't  be  pleas 
ant  for  those  men,  when  they  've  cut  a  way  up  the 
mountain  to  git  at  us,  to  find  us  all  froze  stiff." 

Mrs.  Leeks  smiled.  "  You  're  awful  tender  of  the 
feelin's  of  other  people,  Barb'ry,"  she  said,  "and  a 
heart  as  warm  as  yourn  ought  to  keep  from  freezin'." 

"  Which  it  has  done,  so  far,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine 
complacently. 

As  I  had  expected,  the  water  soon  began  to  drip 
from  the  top  and  the  sides  of  my  cavern,  and  the 
chimney  rapidly  enlarged  its  dimensions.  I  made  a 
passage  for  the  melted  snow  to  run  off  into  a  hollow, 
back  of  the  coach ;  and  as  I  kept  up  a  good  strong 
fire,  the  drops  of  water  and  occasional  pieces  of  snow 
which  fell  into  it  were  not  able  to  extinguish  it.  The 


30  THE   DUSANTES. 

cavern  enlarged  rapidly,  and  in  a  little  more  than  an 
hour  the  roof  became  so  thin  that  while  I  was  outside 
collecting  wood  it  fell  in  and  extinguished  the  fire. 
This  accident,  however,  interrupted  my  operations 
but  for  a  short  time.  I  cleared  away  the  snow  at  the 
bottom  of  the  excavation,  and  rebuilt  my  fire  on  the 
bare  ground.  The  high  snow  walls  on  three  sides  of 
it  protected  it  from  the  wind,  so  that  there  was  no 
danger  of  the  flames  being  blown  against  the  stage 
coach,  while  the  large  open  space  above  allowed  a 
free  vent  for  the  smoke. 

About  the  middle  of  the  afternoon,  to  the  great 
delight  of  us  all,  it  stopped  snowing,  and  when  I  had 
freshly  shoveled  out  the  path  across  the  road,  my 
companions  gladly  embraced  the  opportunity  of  walk 
ing  over  to  the  comparatively  protected  ground  under 
the  trees  and  giving  themselves  a  little  exercise.  Dur 
ing  their  absence  I  was  busily  engaged  in  arranging 
the  fire,  when  I  heard  a  low  crunching  sound  on  one 
side  of  me,  and,  turning  my  head,  I  saw  in  the  wall  of 
my  excavation  opposite  to  the  stage-coach,  and  at  a 
distance  of  four  or  five  feet  from  the  ground,  an  ir 
regular  hole  in  the  snow,  about  a  foot  in  diameter, 
from  which  protruded  the  head  of  a  man.  This  head 
was  wrapped,  with  the  exception  of  the  face,  in  a 
brown  woolen  comforter.  The  features  were  those 
of  a  man  of  about  fifty,  a  little  sallow  and  thin, 
without  beard,  whiskers,  or  mustache,  although  the 
cheeks  and  chin  were  darkened  with  a  recent  growth. 

The  astounding  apparition  of  this  head  projecting 
itself  from  the  snow  wall  of  my  cabin  utterly  par 
alyzed  me,  so  that  I  neither  moved  nor  spoke,  but  re- 


THE  DUSANTES.  31 

maiiied  crouching  by  the  fire,  my  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
head.  It  smiled  a  little,  and  then  spoke. 

"  Conld  you  lend  me  a  small  iron  pot?"  it  said. 

I  rose  to  my  feet,  almost  ready  to  run  away.  Was 
this  a  dream  f  Or  was  it  possible  that  there  was  a  race 
of  beings  who  inhabited  snowbanks  ? 

The  face  smiled  ag'ain  very  pleasantly.  "  Do  not 
be  frightened,"  it  said.  "  I  saw  you  were  startled, 
and  spoke  first  of  a  familiar  pot  in  order  to  reassure 
you." 

"  Who;  in  the  name  of  Heaven,  are  you  ? "  I  gasped. 

"  I  am  only  a  traveler,  sir,"  said  the  head,  "  who 
has  met  with  an  accident  similar,  I  imagine,  to  that 
which  has  befallen  you.  But  I  cannot  further  con 
verse  with  you  in  this  position.  Lying  thus  on  my 
breast  in  a  tunnel  of  snow  will  injuriously  chill  me. 
Could  you  conveniently  lend  me  an  iron  pot  ?  " 

I  was  now  convinced  that  this  was  an  ordinary  hu 
man  being,  and  my  courage  and  senses  returned  to 
me,  but  rny  astonishment  remained  boundless.  "  Be 
fore  we  talk  of  pots,"  I  said.  u  I  must  know  who  you 
are  and  how  you  got  into  that  snowbank.'' 

"  I  do  not  believe,"  said  my  visitor,  "  that  I  can  get 
down,  head  foremost,  to  your  level.  I  will  therefore 
retire  to  my  place  of  refuge,  and  perhaps  we  can  com 
municate  with  each  other  through  this  aperture." 

"Can  I  get  through  to  your  place  of  refuge?"  I 
asked. 

"  Certainly,"  was  the  answer.  "You  are  young  and 
active,  and  the  descent  will  not  be  so  deep  on  my  side. 
But  I  will  first  retire,  and  will  then  project  toward 
you  this  sheepskin  rug,  which,  if  kept  under  you  as 


32  THE   DUSANTES. 

you  move  forward,  will  protect  your  breast  and  arms 
from  direct  contact  with  the  snow." 

It  was  difficult  to  scramble  up  into  the  hole,  but 
I  succeeded  in  doing  it,  and  found  awaiting  me  the 
sheepskin  rug,  which,  by  the  aid  of  an  umbrella,  the 
man  had  pushed  toward  me  for  my  use.  I  was  in  a 
horizontal  tunnel  barely  large  enough  for  the  passage 
of  my  body,  and  about  six  feet  in  length.  When  I 
had  worked  my  way  through  this  and  had  put  my 
head  out  of  the  other  end,  I  looked  into  a  small 
wooden  shed,  into  which  light  entered  only  through 
a  pane  of  glass  set  in  a  rude  door  opposite  to  me.  I 
immediately  perceived  that  the  whole  place  was  filled 
with  the  odor  of  spirituous  liquors.  The  man  stood 
awaiting  me,  and  by  his  assistance  I  descended  to  the 
floor.  As  I  did  so  I  heard  something  which  sounded 
like  a  titter,  and  looking  around  I  saw  in  a  corner 
a  bundle  of  clothes  and  traveling-rugs,  near  the  top 
of  which  appeared  a  pair  of  eyes.  Turning  again,  I 
could  discern  in  another  corner  a  second  bundle,  simi 
lar  to,  but  somewhat  larger  than,  the  other. 

"These  ladies  are  traveling  with  me,"  said  the  man, 
who  was  now  wrapping  about  him  a  large  cloak,  and 
who  appeared  to  be  of  a  tall  though  rather  slender 
figure.  His  manner  and  voice  were  those  of  a  gentle 
man,  extremely  courteous  and  considerate.  "As  I  am 
sure  you  are  curious  —  and  this  I  regard  as  quite  nat 
ural,  sir — to  know  why  we  are  here,  I  will  at  once 
proceed  to  inform  you.  We  started  yesterday  in  a 
carriage  for  the  railway-station,  which  is,  I  believe, 
some  miles  beyond  this  point.  There  were  two  roads 
from  the  last  place  at  which  we  stopped,  and  we  chose 


THE   DUSANTES.  33 

the  one  which  ran  along  a  valley,  and  which  we  sup 
posed  would  be  the  pleasauter  of  the  two.  We  there 
engaged  a  pair  of  horses  which  did  not  prove  very 
serviceable  animals,  and,  at  a  point  about  a  hundred 
yards  from  where  we  now  are,  one  of  them  gave  out 
entirely.  The  driver  declared  that  the  only  thing  to 
be  done  was  to  turn  loose  the  disabled  horse,  which 
would  be  certain,  in  time,  to  find  his  way  back  to  his 
stable,  and  for  him  to  proceed  on  the  other  animal  to 
the  station  to  which  we  were  going,  where  he  would 
procure  some  fresh  horses  and  return  as  speedily  as 
possible.  To  this  plan  we  were  obliged  to  consent,  as 
there  was  no  alternative.  He  told  us  that  if  we  did 
not  care  to  remain  in  the  carriage,  there  was  a  shed 
by  the  side  of  the  road,  a  little  farther  on,  which  was 
erected  for  the  accommodation  of  men  who  are  some 
times  here  in  charge  of  relays  of  horses.  After  as- 
suriug  us  that  he  would  not  be  absent  more  than 
three  hours,  he  rode  away,  and  we  have  not  seen  him 
since.  Soon  after  he  left  us  I  came  up  to  this  shed, 
and  finding  it  tight  and  comparatively  comfortable,  I 
concluded  it  would  give  us  relief  from  our  somewhat 
cramped  position  in  the  carriage,  and  so  conducted 
the  ladies  here.  As  night  drew  on  it  became  very 
cold,  and  I  determined  to  make  a  fire,  a  proceeding 
which  of  course  would  have  been  impossible  in  a  ve 
hicle.  Fortunately  I  had  with  me,  at  the  back  of  the 
carriage,  a  case  of  California  brandy.  By  the  aid  of 
a  stone  I  knocked  the  top  off  this  case,  and  brought 
hither  several  of  the  bottles.  I  found  in  the  shed  an 
old  tin  pan  which  I  filled  with  the  straw  coverings  of 
the  bottles,  and  on  this  I  poured  brandy,  which,  be- 


34  THE   DUSANTES. 

ing  ignited,  produced  a  fire  without  smoke,  but  which, 
as  we  gathered  around  it,  gave  out  considerable  heat." 

As  the  speaker  thus  referred  to  his  fuel,  I  under 
stood  the  reason  of  the  strong  odor  of  spirits  which 
filled  the  shed,  and  I  experienced  a  certain  relief  in 
my  mind. 

The  gentleman  continued:  "At  first  I  attributed 
the  delay  of  the  driver's  return  to  those  ordinary  hin 
drances  which  so  frequently  occur  in  rural  and  out-of- 
the-way  places;  but,  after  a  time,  I  could  not  imagine 
any  reasonable  cause  for  his  delay.  As  it  began  to 
grow  dark  I  brought  here  our  provision-baskets,  and 
we  partook  of  a  slight  repast.  I  then  made  the  ladies 
as  comfortable  as  possible,  and  awaited  with  much 
anxiety  the  return  of  the  driver. 

"After  a  time  it  began  to  snow,  and  feeling  that  the 
storm  might  interrupt  communication  with  the  car 
riage,  I  brought  hither,  making  many  trips  for  the 
purpose,  the  rest  of  the  brandy,  our  wraps  and  rugs, 
and  the  cushions  of  the  carriage.  I  did  not  believe 
that  we  should  be  left  here  all  night,  but  thought  it 
prudent  to  take  all  precautions  and  to  prepare  for  re 
maining  in  a  place  where  we  could  have  a  fire.  The 
morning  showed  me  that  I  had  acted  wisely.  As  you 
know,  sir,  I  found  the  road  in  either  direction  com 
pletely  blocked  up  by  snow,  and  I  have  since  been 
unable  to  visit  the  carriage." 

"Have  you  not  all  suffered  from  cold?"  I  inquired. 
"  Have  you  food  enough  I " 

"  I  will  not  say,"  replied  the  gentleman,  "  that  in 
addition  to  our  anxiety  we  have  not  suffered  some 
what  from  cold,  but  for  the  greater  part  of  this  day  I 


THE   DUSANTES.  35 

have  adopted  a  plan  which  has  resulted  in  consider 
able  comfort  to  my  companions.  I  have  wrapped 
them  up  very  closely  and  warmly,  and  they  hold  in 
each  hand  a  hard-boiled  egg'.  I  thought  it  better  to 
keep  these  for  purposes  of  warmth  than  to  eat  them. 
About  every  half  hour  I  reboil  the  eggs  in  a  little 
traveling  tea-pot  which  we  have.  They  retain  their 
warmth  for  a  considerable  period,  and  this  warmth 
in  a  moderate  degree  is  communicated  through  the 
hands  to  the  entire  person." 

As  he  said  this  a  low  laugh  again  burst  forth  from 
the  bundle  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  and  I  could  not 
help  smiling  at  this  odd  way  of  keeping  warm.  I 
looked  toward  the  jocose  bundle  and  remarked  that 
the  eggs  must  be  pretty  hard  by  this  time. 

"  These  ladies,"  said  the  gentleman,  "  are  not  accus 
tomed  to  the  cold  atmosphere  of  this  region,  and  I 
have,  therefore,  forbidden  them  to  talk,  hoping  thus 
to  prevent  injury  from  the  inhalation  of  frosty  air. 
So  far  we  have  not  suffered,  and  we  still  have  some 
food  left.  About  noon  I  noticed  smoke  floating  over 
this  shed,  and  I  forced  open  the  door  and  made  my 
way  for  some  little  distance  outside,  hoping  to  dis 
cover  whence  it  came.  I  then  heard  voices  on  the 
other  side  of  the  enormous  snow-drift  behind  us.  but 
I  could  see  no  possible  way  of  getting  over  the  drift. 
Feeling  that  I  must,  without  fail,  open  communica 
tion  with  any  human  beings  who  might  be  near  us,  I 
attempted  to  shout,  but  the  cold  had  so  affected  my 
voice  that  I  could  not  do  so.  I  thereupon  set  my  wits 
to  work.  At  the  back  of  this  shed  is  a  small  window 
closed  by  a  wooden  shutter.  I  opened  this  shutter, 


36  THE   DUSANTES. 

and  found  outside  a  wall  of  snow  packed  closely 
against  it.  The  snow  was  not  very  hard,  and  I  be 
lieved  that  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  tunnel  a  way 
through  it  to  the  place  where  the  voices  seemed  to 
be.  I  immediately  set  to  work,  for  I  feared  that  if  we 
were  obliged  to  remain  here  another  night  without 
assistance  we  should  be  compelled  to-morrow  morning 
to  eat  those  four  hard-boiled  eggs  which  the  ladies  are 
holding,  and  which,  very  shortly,  I  must  boil  again." 

"How  did  you  manage  to  cut  through  the  snow!" 
I  asked.  " Had  you  a  shovel?" 

"Oh,  no,"  replied  the  other.  "I  used  the  tin  pan. 
I  found  it  answered  very  well  as  a  scoop.  Each  time 
that  I  filled  it  I  threw  the  contents  out  of  our 
door." 

"  It  must  have  been  slow  and  difficult  work,"  I  said. 

"  Indeed  it  was,"  he  replied.  "  The  labor  was  ardu 
ous,  and  occupied  me  several  hours.  But  when  I  saw 
a  respectable  man  at  a  fire,  and  a  stage-coach  near  by, 
I  felt  rewarded  for  all  my  trouble.  May  I  ask  you, 
sir,  how  you  came  to  be  thus  snow-bound  ? " 

I  then  briefly  related  the  circumstances  of  our  mis 
hap,  and  had  scarcely  finished  when  a  shrill  sound 
came  through  the  tunnel  into  the  shed.  It  was  the 
voice  of  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  Hello  !  "  she  screamed,  "  are  you  in  there  ?  An' 
you  don't  mean  to  tell  me  there  are  other  people  in 
that  hole  ?  " 

Feeling  quite  certain  that  my  wife  and  her  com 
panions  were  in  a  state  of  mental  agitation  on  the 
other  side  of  the  drift,  I  called  back  that  I  would  be 
with  them  in  a  moment,  and  then  explained  to  the 


THE   DUSANTES.  37 

gentleman  why  I  could  not  remain  with  him  longer. 
"But  before  I  go,"  I  said,  "  is  there  anything  I  can  do 
for  you  ?  Do  you  really  want  an  iron  pot  ? " 

"The  food  that  remains  to  us,"  he  answered,  "is 
fragmentary  and  rather  distasteful  to  the  ladies,  and 
I  thought  if  I  could  make  a  little  stew  of  it,  it  might 
prove  more  acceptable  to  them.  But  do  not  let  me 
detain  you  another  instant  from  your  friends,  and  I 
advise  you  to  go  through  that  tunnel  feet  foremost, 
for  you  might  otherwise  experience  difficulties  in  get 
ting  out  at  the  other  end." 

I  accepted  his  suggestion,  and  by  his  assistance  and 
the  help  of  the  rough  window-frame,  I  got  into  the 
hole  feet  first,  and  soon  ejected  myself  into  the  midst 
of  my  alarmed  companions.  When  they  heard  where 
I  had  been,  and  what  I  had  seen,  they  were  naturally 
astounded. 

"  Another  party  deserted  at  this  very  point ! "  ex 
claimed  Ruth,  who  was  both  excitable  and  imagi 
native.  "  This  looks  like  a  conspiracy  !  Are  we  to  be 
robbed  and  murdered ! " 

At  these  words  Mrs.  Aleshine  sprang  toward  me. 
"  Mr.  Craig,"  she  exclaimed,  "  if  it  's  robbers,  don't 
lose  a  minute !  Never  let  'em  get  ahead  of  you  !  Pull 
out  your  pistol  and  fire  through  the  hole  ! '' 

"Gracious  me!  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"  you  don't  suppose  the  robbers  is  them  poor  unfor 
tunates  on  the  other  side  of  the  drift !  And  1  must 
say,  Mrs.  Craig,  that  if  there  was  any  such  thing  as 
a  conspiracy,  your  father  must  have  been  in  it,  for  it 
was  him  who  landed  us  just  here.  But  of  course  none 
of  us  supposes  nothin'  of  that  kind,  and  the  first  thing 


38  THE   DUSANTES. 

we  Ve  got  to  think  of  is  what  we  can  do  for  them  poor 
people." 

"  They  seem  to  have  some  food  left,  but  not  much," 
I  said,  ''and  I  fear  they  must  be  suffering  from  cold.'' 

"  Could  n't  we  poke  some  wood  to  them  through 
this  hole  ? ''  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  whose  combative  feel 
ings  had  changed  to  the  deepest  compassion.  "  I 
should  think  they  must  be  nearly  froze,  with  nothin' 
to  warm  'em  but  hard-b'iled  eggs." 

I  explained  that  there  was  no  place  in  their  shed 
where  they  could  build  a  fire,  and  proposed  that  we 
should  give  them  some  hot  tea  and  some  of  our  pro 
visions. 

"  That 's  so  !  "  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  ''  An'  jus'  shout 
in  to  them  that  if  they  '11  shove  them  eggs  through  the 
hole,  I  '11  bile  'em  fur  'em  as  often  as  they  want  'em." 

"  I  've  just  got  to  say  this,"  ejaculated  Mrs.  Leeks, 
as  she  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  were  busily  placing  a  portion 
of  our  now  very  much  reduced  stock  of  provisions  in 
the  smallest  of  our  baskets:  "This  is  the  first  time  in 
my  life  that  I  ever  heard  of  people  warmin'  them 
selves  up  with  hens'  eggs  and  spirits,  excep'  when 
mixed  up  into  egg-nog ;  and  that  they  resisted  that 
temptation  and  contented  themselves  with  plain  hon 
est  heat,  though  very  little  of  it,  shows  what  kind  of 
people  they  must  be.  And  now  do  you  suppose  we 
could  slide  this  basket  in  without  upsettin'  the  little 
kittle?" 

I  called  to  the  gentleman  that  we  were  about  to 
send  him  a  basket,  and  then,  by  the  aid  of  an  um 
brella,  I  gently  pushed  it  through  the  snow-tunnel 
to  a  point  where  he  could  reach  it.  Hearty  thanks 


THE   DUSANTES.  39 

came  back  to  us  through  the  hole,  and  when  the  bas 
ket  and  kettle  were  returned,  we  prepared  our  own 
evening  meal. 

"  For  the  life  of  me,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  as  she  sipped 
a  cup  of  tea,  "  I  can't  imagine,  if  there  was  a  shed  so 
near  us,  why  we  did  n't  know  it." 

"That  has  been  puzzling  me,"  I  replied ;  "but  the 
other  road,  on  which  the  shed  is  built,  is  probably 
lower  than  this  one,  so  that  the  upper  part  of  the 
shed  could  not  have  projected  far  above  the  embank 
ment  between  the  two  roads,  and  if  there  were  weeds 
and  dead  grasses  on  the  bank,  as  there  probably  were, 
they  would  have  prevented  us  from  noticing  the  top 
of  a  weather-worn  shed." 

"  Especially,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  as  we  was  n't  lookin' 
for  sheds,  and,  as  far  as  I  know,  we  was  n't  lookin'  for 
auythin'  on  that  side  of  the  coach,  for  all  my  eyes  was 
busy  starm'  about  on  the  side  we  got  in  and  out  of, 
and  down  the  road." 

"Which  mine  was  too,"  added  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "An' 
after  it  begun  to  snow  we  could  n't  see  nothin'  any 
how,  partic'larly  when  everythin'  was  all  covered  up." 

"  Well,"  added  Mrs.  Leeks  in  conclusion,  "  as  we 
did  n't  see  the  shed,  it 's  a  comfort  to  think  there  was 
reasons  for  it  and  that  we  are  not  born  fools." 

It  was  now  growing  dark,  and  but  few  further  com 
munications  took  place  through  the  little  tunnel. 

"  Before  we  get  ready  to  go  to  sleep,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "for,  havin'  no  candles,  I  guess  we  won't  sit  up 
late,  had  n't  we  better  rig  up  some  kind  of  a  little  sled 
to  put  in  that  hole,  with  strings  at  both  ends,  so  that 
we  kin  send  in  mustard-plasters  and  peppermint  to 


40  THE  DUSANTES. 

them  poor  people  if  they  happen  to  be  sick  in  the 
night?'1 

This  little  project  was  not  considered  necessary,  and 
after  receiving  assurances  from  the  gentleman  on  the 
other  side  that  he  would  be  able  to  keep  his  party 
warm  until  morning,  we  bade  each  other  good  night, 
and,  after  having  replenished  the  fire,  I  got  into  the 
stage,  where  my  companions  had  already  established 
themselves  in  their  corners.  I  slept  very  little,  while 
I  frequently  went  out  to  attend  to  the  fire,  and  my 
mind  was  racked  by  the  most  serious  apprehensions. 
Our  food  was  nearly  gone,  and  if  relief  did  not  come 
to  us  very  soon  I  could  see  nothing  but  a  slow  death 
before  us,  and,  so  far  as  I  could  imagine,  there  was 
no  more  reason  to  expect  succor  on  the  following  day 
than  there  had  been  on  the  one  just  passed.  Where 
were  the  men  to  be  found  who  could  cut  a  road  to  us 
through  those  miles  of  snow-drifts? 

Very  little  was  said  during  the  night  by  my  com 
panions,  but  I  am  sure  that  they  felt  the  seriousness 
of  our  situation,  and  that  their  slumbers  were  broken 
and  unrefreshing.  If  there  had  been  anything  to  do, 
Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshiue  would  have  been  cheered 
up  by  the  prospect  of  doing  it;  but  we  all  felt  that 
there  was  nothing  we  could  do. 


PART   II 


FTER  a  second  night  spent  in  the 


stage-coach  on  that  lonely  and  deso 
late  mountain-road  where  we  were 
now  snow-bound,  I  arose  early  in 
the  morning  and  went  into  the  forest 
to  collect  some  fuel;  and  while  thus 
engaged  I  made  the  discovery  that  the  snow  was 
covered  with  a  hard  crnst  which  would  bear  my 
weight.  After  the  storm  had  ceased  the  day  before, 
the  sun  had  shone  brightly  and  the  temperature  had 
moderated  very  much,  so  that  the  surface  of  the  snow 
had  slightly  thawed.  During  the  night  it  became 
cold  again,  and  this  surface  froze  into  a  hard  coating 
of  ice.  When  I  found  I  could  walk  where  I  pleased, 
my  spirits  rose,  and  I  immediately  set  out  to  view  the 
situation.  The  aspect  of  the  road  gave  me  no  en 
couragement.  The  snowfall  had  been  a  heavy  one, 
but  had  it  not  been  for  the  high  wind  which  accom 
panied  it,  it  would  have  thrown  but  moderate  diffi 
culties  in  the  way  of  our  rescue.  Reaching  a  point 
which  commanded  a  considerable  view  along  the  side 
of  the  mountain,  I  could  see  that  in  many  places  the 


42  THE   DUSANTES. 

road  was  completely  lost  to  sight  on  account  of  the 
great  snow-drifts  piled  up  on  it.  I  then  walked  to 
the  point  where  the  two  roads  met,  and  crossing  over, 
I  climbed  a  slight  rise  in  the  ground  which  had  cut 
off  my  view  in  this  direction,  and  found  myself  in  a 
position  from  which  I  could  look  directly  down  the 
side  of  the  mountain  below  the  road. 

Here  the  mountain-side,  which  I  had  supposed  to 
be  very  steep  and  rugged,  descended  in  a  long  and 
gradual  slope  to  the  plains  below,  and  for  the  greater 
part  of  the  distance  was  covered  by  a  smooth,  shining 
surface  of  frozen  snow,  unbroken  by  rock  or  tree. 
This  snowy  slope  apparently  extended  for  a  mile  or 
more,  and  then  I  could  see  that  it  gradually  blended 
itself  into  the  greenish-brown  turf  of  the  lower  coun 
try.  Down  there  in  the  valley  there  still  were  leaves 
upon  the  trees,  and  there  were  patches  of  verdure  over 
the  land.  The  storm  which  had  piled  its  snows  up 
here  had  given  them  rain  down  there  and  had  fresh 
ened  everything.  It  was  like  looking  down  into 
another  climate,  and  on  another  land.  I  saw  a  little 
smoke  coming  up  behind  a  patch  of  trees.  It  must 
be  that  there  was  a  house  there !  Could  it  be  possible 
that  we  were  within  a  mile  or  two  of  a  human  habi 
tation  ?  Yet,  what  comfort  was  there  in  that  thought  ? 
The  people  in  that  house  could  not  get  to  us  nor  we 
to  them,  nor  could  they  have  heard  of  our  situation, 
for  the  point  where  our  road  reached  the  lower  coun 
try  was  miles  farther  on. 

As  I  stood  thus  and  gazed,  it  seemed  to  me  that  I 
could  make  a  run  and  slide  down  the  mountain-side 
into  green  fields,  into  safety,  into  life.  I  remembered 


THE   DUSANTES.  43 

those  savage  warriors  who,  looking  from  the  summits 
of  the  Alps  upon  the  fertile  plains  of  Italy,  seated 
themselves  upon  their  shields  and  slid  down  to  con 
quest  and  rich  spoils. 

An  idea  came  into  my  mind,  and  I  gave  it  glad 
welcome.  There  was  no  time  to  be  lost.  The  sun 
was  not  yet  high,  but  it  was  mounting  in  a  clear  sky, 
and  should  its  rays  become  warm  enough  to  melt 
the  crust  on  which  I  stood,  our  last  chance  of  es 
cape  would  be  gone.  To  plow  our  way  to  any  place, 
through  deep,  soft  snow,  would  be  impossible.  I  hur 
ried  back  to  our  coach,  and  found  three  very  grave 
women  standing  around  the  fire.  They  were  look 
ing  at  a  small  quantity  of  food  at  the  bottom  of  a 
large  basket. 

"  That 's  every  crumb  there  is  left,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  to  me,  "  and  when  we  pass  in  some  to  them  un 
fortunates  on  the  other  side  of  the  drift, —  which,  of 
course,  we  're  bound  to  do, —  we  '11  have  what  I  call  a 
skimpy  meal.  And  that 's  not  the  worst  of  it.  Until 
somebody  gets  up  to  us,  it  will  be  our  last  meal." 

I  took  my  poor  Ruth  by  the  hand,  for  she  was 
looking  very  pale  and  troubled,  and  I  said :  "  My 
dear  friends,  nobody  can  get  up  to  this  place  for  a 
long,  long  time ;  and  before  help  could  possibly  reach 
us  we  should  all  be  dead.  But  do  not  be  frightened. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  wait  for  any  one  to  come  to 
us.  The  snow  is  now  covered  with  a  crust  which  will 
bear  our  weight.  I  have  thought  of  a  way  in  which 
we  can  slide  down  the  mountain-side,  which,  from  a 
spot  where  I  have  been  standing  this  morning,  is  no 
steeper  than  some  coasting-hills,  though  very  much 


44  THE  DUSANTES. 

longer.  In  a  few  minutes  we  can  pass  from  this  re 
gion  of  snow,  where  death  from  cold  and  starvation 
must  soon  overtake  us,  to  a  grassy  valley  where  there 
is  no  snow,  and  where  we  shall  be  within  walking 
distance  of  a  house  in  which  people  are  living." 

Ruth  grasped  my  arm.  "  Will  it  be  safe  ? "  she  ex 
claimed. 

"  I  think  so,"  I  answered.  "  I  see  no  reason  why 
we  should  meet  with  any  accident.  At  any  rate,  it  is 
much  safer  than  remaining  here  for  another  hour; 
for  if  the  crust  melts,  our  last  chance  is  gone." 

"  Mr.  Craig,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  me  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  is  no  hands  at  coastin'  down-hill,  havin'  given 
up  that  sort  of  thing  since  we  was  little  girls  with 
short  frocks  and  it  did  n't  make  no  matter  anyway. 
But  you  know  more  about  these  things  than  we  do ; 
and  if  you  say  we  can  get  out  of  this  dreadful  place 
by  slidin'  dowrn-hill,  we  're  ready  to  follow,  if  you  '11 
just  go  ahead.  We  followed  you  through  the  ocean 
with  nothin'  between  our  feet  and  the  bottom  but 
miles  o'  water  and  nobody  knows  what  sorts  of  dread 
ful  fish,  and  when  you  say  it 's  the  right  way  to  save 
our  lives,  we  're  ready  to  follow  you  again.  And  as 
for  you,  Mrs.  Ruth,  don't  you  be  frightened.  I  don't 
know  what  we  're  goin'  to  slide  on,  but,  whatever  it 
is,  even  if  it 's  our  own  selves,  me  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  will  take  you  between  us,  and  if  anything  is 
run  against,  we  '11  get  the  bumps,  and  not  you." 

I  was  delighted  to  see  how  rapidly  my  proposition 
was  accepted,  and  we  made  a  hasty  breakfast,  first 
sending  in  some  of  our  food  to  the  other  party.  The 
gentleman  reported  through  the  hole  of  communica- 


THE   DUSANTES.  45 

tion  that  they  were  all  fairly  well,  but  a  good  deal 
stiffened  by  cold  and  want  of  exercise.  He  inquired, 
in  a  very  anxious  voice,  if  I  had  discovered  any  signs 
of  approaching  relief.  To  this  I  replied  that  I  had 
devised  a  plan  by  which  we  could  get  ourselves  out  of 
our  present  dangerous  situation,  and  that  in  a  very 
short  time  I  would  come  round  to  the  door  of  his 
shed — for  I  could  now  walk  on  the  crusted  snow  — 
and  tell  him  about  it.  He  answered  that  these  words 
cheered  his  heart,  and  that  he  wrould  do  everything 
possible  to  cooperate  with  me. 

I  now  went  to  work  vigorously.  I  took  the  cush 
ions  from  the  coach,  four  of  them  altogether,  and 
carried  them  to  the  brink  of  the  slope  down  which 
I  purposed  to  make  our  descent.  I  also  conveyed 
thither  a  long  coil  of  rawhide  rope  which  I  had  pre 
viously  discovered  in  the  boot  of  the  coach.  I  then 
hurried  along  the  other  road,  which,  as  has  been  said 
before,  lay  at  a  somewhat  lower  level  than  the  one 
we  were  on,  and  when  I  reached  the  shed  I  found  the 
door  had  been  opened,  and  the  gentleman,  with  his 
tin  pan,  had  scooped  away  a  good  deal  of  the  snow 
about  it,  so  as  to  admit  of  a  moderately  easy  passage 
in  and  out.  He  met  me  outside,  and  grasped  my 
hand. 

"Sir,  if  you  have  a  plan  to  propose,"  he  said,  "  state 
it  quickly.  We  are  in  a  position  of  great  danger. 
Those  two  ladies  inside  the  shed  cannot  much  longer 
endure  this  exposure,  and  I  presume  that  the  ladies  in 
your  party — although  their  voices,  which  I  occasion 
ally  hear,  do  not  seem  to  indicate  it  —  must  be  in  a 
like  condition." 


46  THE   DUSANTES. 

I  replied  that,  so  far,  my  companions  had  borne  up 
very  well,  and  without  further  waste  of  words  pro 
ceeded  to  unfold  my  plan  of  escape. 

When  he  had  heard  it  the  gentleman  put  on  a  very 
serious  expression.  "It  seems  hazardous,"  he  said, 
"but  it  may  be  the  only  way  out  of  our  danger.  "Will 
you  show  me  the  point  from  which  you  took  your 
observations!" 

"  Yes,"  said  I,  "  but  we  must  be  in  haste.  The  sun 
is  getting  up  in  the  sky,  and  this  crust  may  soon 
begin  to  melt.  It  is  not  yet  really  winter,  you  know." 

We  stepped  quickly  to  the  spot  where  I  had  carried 
the  cushions.  The  gentleman  stood  and  silently  gazed 
first  at  the  blocked-up  roadway,  then  at  the  long, 
smooth  slope  of  the  mountain-side  directly  beneath 
us,  and  then  at  the  verdure  of  the  plain,  below,  which 
had  grown  greener  under  the  increasing  brightness  of 
day.  "  Sir,"  said  he,  turning  to  me,  "  there  is  nothing 
to  be  done  but  to  adopt  your  plan,  or  to  remain  here 
and  die.  We  will  accompany  you  in  the  descent,  and 
I  place  myself  under  your  orders." 

"  The  first  thing,"  said  I,  "  is  to  bring  here  your  car 
riage  cushions,  and  help  me  to  arrange  them." 

When  he  had  brought  the  three  cushions  from  the 
shed,  the  gentleman  and  I  proceeded  to  place  them 
with  the  others  on  the  snow,  so  that  the  whole  formed 
a  sort  of  wide  and  nearly  square  mattress.  Then, 
with  a  rawhide  rope,  we  bound  them  together  in  a 
rough  but  secure  network  of  cordage.  In  this  part 
of  the  work  I  found  my  companion  very  apt  and 
skilful. 

When  this  rude  mattress  was  completed,  I  requested 


THE  DUSANTES.  47 

the  gentleman  to  bring  his  ladies  to  the  place,  while  I 
went  for  mine. 

"What  are  we  to  pack  up  to  take  with  us?"  said 
Mrs.  Aleshine,  when  I  reached  our  coach. 

"  We  take  nothing  at  all,"  said  I,  "  but  the  mone}- 
in  our  pockets  and  our  rugs  and  wraps.  Everything 
else  must  be  left  in  the  coach,  to  be  brought  down  to 
us  when  the  roads  shall  be  cleared  out." 

With  our  rugs  and  shawls  on  our  arms,  we  left  the 
coach,  and  as  we  were  crossing  the  other  road  we 
saw  the  gentleman  and  his  companions  approaching. 
These  ladies  were  very  much  wrapped  up,  but  one  of 
them  seemed  to  step  along  lightly  and  without  diffi 
culty,  while  the  other  moved  slowly  and  was  at  times 
assisted  by  the  gentleman. 

A  breeze  had  sprung  up  which  filled  the  air  with 
fine  frozen  particles  blown  from  the  uncrusted  beds 
of  snow  along  the  edge  of  the  forest,  and  I  counseled 
Kuth  to  cover  up  her  mouth  and  breathe  as  little  of 
this  snow  powder  as  possible. 

'•  If  I  'in  to  go  coastiu'  at  all,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  I  'd  as  lief  do  it  with  strangers  as  friends  ;  and  a 
little  liefer,  for  that  matter,  if  there 's  any  bones  to  be 
broken.  But  I  must  say  that  I  'd  like  to  make  the 
acquaintance  of  them  ladies  afore  I  git  on  to  the  sled, 
which," —  at  that  moment  catching  sight  of  the  mat 
tress, — "you  don't  mean  to  say  that  that 's  it?" 

"  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks  from  under 
neath  her  great  woolen-  comforter,  "  if  you  want  to 
get  your  lungs  friz,  you  'd  better  go  011  talkin'.  Man 
ners  is  manners,  but  they  can  wait  till  we  get  to  the 
bottom  of  the  hill." 


48  THE   DUSANTES. 

Notwithstanding  this  admonition,  I  noticed  that  as 
soon  as  the  two  parties  met,  both  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine  advanced  and  shook  hands  with  the 
ladies  who  had  been  their  neighbors  under  such 
peculiar  circumstances,  and  that  Mrs.  Leeks  herself 
expressed  a  muffled  hope  that  they  might  all  get 
down  safely. 

I  now  pushed  the  mattress  which  was  to  serve  as 
our  sled  as  close  as  was  prudent  to  the  edge  of  the 
descent,  and  requested  the  party  to  seat  themselves 
upon  it.  Without  hesitation  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  sat  down,  taking  Ruth  between  them,  as  they 
had  promised  to  do.  My  young  wife  was  very  nervous, 
but  the  cool  demeanor  of  her  companions,  and  my 
evident  belief  in  the  practicability  of  the  plan,  gave 
her  courage,  and  she  quietly  took  her  seat.  The 
younger  of  the  two  strange  ladies  stepped  lightly  on 
the  cushions,  and  before  seating  herself  stood  up  for 
a  good  look  at  the  far-extending  bed  of  snow  over 
which  we  were  to  take  our  way.  The  prospect  did 
not  appear  to  deter  her,  and  she  sat  down  promptly 
and  with  an  air  that  seemed  to  say  that  she  antici 
pated  a  certain  enjoyment  from  the  adventure.  The 
elder  lady,  however,  exhibited  very  different  emotions. 
She  shrank  back  from  the  cushions  toward  which  the 
gentleman  was  conducting  her,  and  turned  her  face 
away  from  the  declivity.  Her  companion  assured  her 
that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  that  we  should  de 
scend  from  the  mountain  in  this  way,  for  there  was 
no  other;  and  asserting  his  belief  that  our  slide  would 
be  a  perfectly  safe  one,  he  gently  drew  her  to  the  mat 
tress  and  induced  her  to  sit  down. 


THE   DUSANTES.  49 

I  now,  for  the  first  time,  noticed  that  the  gentleman 
carried  under  one  arm,  and  covered  by  his  long  cloak, 
a  large  package  of  some  sort,  and  I  immediately  said 
to  him:  "It  will  be  very  imprudent  for  us  to  attempt 
to  carry  any  of  our  property  except  what  we  can  put 
in  our  pockets  or  wrap  around  us.  Everything  else 
should  be  left  here,  either  in  your  carriage  or  our 
coach,  and  I  have  no  fear  that  anything  will  be  lost. 
But  even  if  our  luggage  were  in  danger  of  being  mo 
lested,  we  cannot  afford  to  consider  it  under  circum 
stances  such  as  these." 

"My  dear  sir,"  said  the  gentleman,  speaking  very 
gravely,  "  I  appreciate  the  hazards  of  our  position  as 
keenly  as  yourself.  Our  valises,  and  all  the  light  lug 
gage  which  we  had  with  us  in  our  carriage,  I  have  left 
there,  and  shall  not  give  them  another  thought.  But 
with  the  parcel  I  hold  under  this  arm  I  cannot  part, 
and  if  I  go  down  the  mountain-side  on  these  cushions, 
it  must  go  with  me.  If  you  refuse  in  such  a  case  to 
allow  me  to  be  one  of  your  party,  I  must  remain  be 
hind,  and  endeavor  to  find  a  board  or  something  on 
which  I  can  make  the  descent  of  the  mountain." 

He  spoke  courteously,  but  with  an  air  of  decision 
which  showed  me  that  it  would  be  of  no  use  to  argue 
with  him.  Besides,  there  was  no  time  for  parleying ; 
and  if  this  gentleman  chose  to  take  his  chances  with 
but  one  arm  at  liberty,  it  was  no  longer  my  affair. 
I  therefore  desired  him  to  sit  down,  and  I  arranged 
the  company  so  that  they  sat  back  to  back,  their  feet 
drawn  up  to  the  edge  of  the  mattress.  I  then  took 
the  place  which  had  been  reserved  for  me  as  steers 
man,  and  having  tied  several  shawls  together,  end  to 


50  THE   DUSANTES. 

end,  I  passed  them  around  the  whole  of  us  under  our 
arms,  thus  binding  us  all  firmly  together.  I  felt  that 
one  of  our  greatest  dangers  would  be  that  one  or  more 
of  the  party  might  slip  from  the  mattress  during  the 
descent. 

When  all  was  ready  I  asked  the  gentleman,  who, 
with  the  elder  lady,  sat  near  me,  at  the  back  of  the 
mattress,  to  assist  in  giving  us  a  start  by  pushing 
outward  with  his  heels  while  I  thrust  the  handle  of 
my  wooden  shovel  into  the  crust  and  thus  pushed 
the  mattress  forward.  The  starting  was  a  little  dif 
ficult,  but  in  a  minute  or  two  we  had  pushed  the  mat 
tress  partly  over  the  brink,  and  then,  after  a  few  more 
efforts,  we  began  to  slide  downward. 

The  motion,  at  first  slow,  suddenly  became  quite 
rapid,  and  I  heard  behind  me  a  cry  or  exclamation, 
from  whom  I  knew  not,  but  I  felt  quite  sure  it  did  not 
come  from  any  of  our  party.  I  hoped  to  be  able  to 
make  some  use  of  my  shovel  in  the  guidance  of  our 
unwieldy  raft  or  mattress-sled,  but  I  soon  found  this 
impossible,  and  down  we  went  over  the  smooth,  hard- 
frozen  slope,  with  nothing  to  direct  our  course  but 
the  varying  undulations  of  the  mountain-side.  Every 
moment  we  seemed  to  go  faster  and  faster,  and  soon 
we  began  to  revolve,  so  that  sometimes  I  was  in  front 
and  sometimes  behind.  Once,  when  passing  over  a 
very  smooth  sheet  of  snow,  we  fairly  spun  around,  so 
that  in  every  direction  feet  were  flying  out  from  a 
common  center  and  heels  grating  on  the  frozen  crust. 
But  there  were  no  more  cries  or  exclamations.  Each 
one  of  us  grasped  the  cordage  which  held  the  cushions 
together,  and  the  rapidity  of  the  motion  forced  us 
almost  to  hold  our  breath. 


THE   DUSANTES.  51 

Down  the  smooth,  white  slope  we  sped,  as  a  bird 
skims  through  the  air.  It  seemed  to  me  as  if  we 
passed  over  miles  and  miles  of  snow.  Sometimes  my 
face  was  turned  down  the  mountain  where  the  snow- 
surface  seemed  to  stretch  out  inimitably,  and  then  it 
was  turned  upward  toward  the  apparently  illimitable 
slopes  over  which  we  had  passed. 

Presently,  my  position  now  being  in  front  of  the 
little  group  that  glanced  along  its  glittering  way,  I 
saw  at  some  distance  below  me  a  long  rise  or  terrace 
which  ran  along  the  mountain-side  for  a  considerable 
distance,  and  which  cut  off  our  view  of  everything  be 
low  us.  As  we  approached  this  hillock  the  descent 
became  much  more  gradual  and  our  progress  slower, 
and  at  last  I  began  to  fear  that  our  acquired  velocity 
would  not  be  sufficient  to  carry  us  up  the  side  of  this 
elevation,  and  so  enable  us  to  continue  our  descent. 
I  therefore  called  to  everybody  in  the  rear  to  kick 
out  vigorously,  and  with  my  shovel  I  endeavored  to 
assist  our  progress.  As  we  approached  the  summit 
of  the  elevation,  we  moved  slower  and  slower.  I  be 
came  very  anxious,  for,  should  we  slide  backward, 
we  might  find  it  difficult  or  impossible  to  get  our 
selves  and  the  mattress  up  this  little  hill.  But  the 
gentleman  and  myself  worked  valiantly,  and  as  for 
Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  they  kicked  their  heels 
through  the  frozen  crust  with  such  energy  that  we 
moved  sidewise  almost  as  much  as  upward.  But 
in  a  moment  the  anxious  suspense  was  over,  and  we 
rested  on  the  ridge  of  the  long  hillock,  with  the 
mountain-side  stretching  down  to  the  plain,  which 
lay  not  very  far  below  us. 

I  should  have  been  glad  to  remain  here  a  few  min- 


52  THE   DUSANTES. 

utes  to  regain  breath,  and  to  give  some  considera 
tion  to  the  rest  of  our  descent,  but  some  of  those 
behind  continued  to  push  —  the  mattress  slid  over 
the  edge  of  the  terrace,  and  down  again  we  went. 
Our  progress  now  was  not  so  rapid,  but  it  was  very 
much  more  unpleasant.  The  snow  was  thinner;  there 
was  little  or  no  crust  upon  it,  and  we  very  soon  reached 
a  wide  extent  of  exposed  turf,  over  which  we  slid,  but 
not  without  a  good  deal  of  bumping  against  stones 
and  protuberances.  Then  there  was  another  sheet 
of  snow,  which  quickened  our  downward  impetus; 
and,  after  that,  the  snow  was  seen  only  in  occasional 
patches,  and  our  progress  continued  over  a  long  slope 
of  short,  partly  dried  grass,  which  was  very  slippery, 
and  over  which  we  passed  with  considerable  quickness. 
I  wished  now  to  bring  our  uncouth  sled  to  a  stop, 
and  to  endeavor  to  make  the  rest  of  the  descent  on 
foot.  But  although  I  stuck  out  my  heels  and  tried 
to  thrust  the  handle  of  my  shovel  into  the  ground,  it 
was  of  no  use.  On  we  went,  and  the  inequalities  of 
the  surface  gave  an  irregularity  of  motion  which  was 
uncomfortable  and  alarming.  We  turned  to  this  side 
and  that,  we  bounced  and  bumped,  and  the  rawhide 
ropes,  which  must  have  been  greatly  frayed  and  cut 
by  the  snow-crust,  now  gave  way  in  several  places, 
and  I  knew  that  the  mattress  would  soon  separate 
into  its  original  cushions,  if  indeed  they  still  could  be 
called  cushions.  Fearing  increased  danger  should  we 
now  continue  bound  together  in  a  bunch,  I  jerked 
apart  the  shawl-knot  under  my  arms,  and  the  next 
moment,  it  seemed  to  me,  there  was  a  general  disso 
lution  of  our  connection  with  each  other.  Fortunately, 


THE   DUSANTES.  53 

we  were  now  near  the  bottom  of  the  slope,  for  while 
some  of  us  stuck  fast  to  the  cushions,  others  rolled 
over,  or  slid,  independent  of  any  projection;  while  I, 
being  thrown  forward  on  my  feet,  actually  ran  down 
hill!  I  had  just  succeeded  in  stopping  myself,  when 
down  upon  me  came  the  rest  of  the  company,  all 
prostrate  in  some  position  or  other. 

And  now  from  an  unwieldy  mass  of  shawls  came 
a  cry: 

"O  Albert  Dusante!  Where  are  you?  Lucille! 
Lucille ! " 

Instantly  sprang  to  one  foot  good  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
her  other  foot  being  entangled  in  a  mass  of  shawls 
which  dragged  behind  her.  Her  bonnet  was  split 
open  and  mashed  down  over  her  eyes.  In  her  left 
hand  she  waved  a  piece  of  yellow  flannel,  which  in 
her  last  mad  descent  she  had  torn  from  some  part  of 
the  person  of  Mrs.  Leeks,  and  in  the  other  a  bunch  of 
stout  dead  weeds,  which  she  had  seized  and  pulled  up 
by  the  roots  as  she  had  passed  them.  Her  dress  was 
ripped  open  down  her  rotund  back,  and  the  earth  from 
the  weed  roots  had  bespattered  her  face.  From  the 
midst  of  this  dilapidation  her  round  eyes  sparkled 
with  excitement.  Hopping  on  one  foot,  the  shawls 
and  a  part  of  a  cushion  dragging  behind  her,  she 
shouted : 

"The  Dusantes !     They  are  the  Dusantes! " 

Then  pitching  forward  on  her  knees  before  the  two 
strange  ladies,  who  had  now  tumbled  into  each  other's 
arms,  she  cried : 

"  Oh,  which  is  Emily,  and  which  is  Lucille  1 " 

I  had  rushed  toward  Ruth,  who  had  clung  to  a  cush- 


54  THE  DUSANTES. 

ion,  and  was  now  sitting  upon  it,  when  Mrs.  Leeks, 
who  was  close  beside  her,  arose  to  her  feet  and  stood 
upright.  One  foot  was  thrust  through  her  own  bon 
net,  and  her  clothes  gave  evidence  of  the  frenzy  and 
power  of  Mrs.  Aleshine's  grasp,  but  her  mien  was 
dignified  and  her  aspect  stately. 

"  Barb'ry  Aleshine  ! "  she  exclaimed,  "  if  them  Du- 
santes  has  dropped  down  from  heaven  at  your  very 
feet,  can't  you  give  7em  a  minute  to  feel  their  ribs  and 
see  if  their  legs  and  arms  is  broken?" 

The  younger  lady  now  turned  her  head  toward  Mrs. 
Aleshine.  "  I  am  Lucille,"  she  said. 

In  a  moment  the  good  woman's  arms  were  around 
her  neck.  "  I  always  liked  you  the  best  of  the  two,"  she 
whispered  into  the  ear  of  the  astonished  young  lady. 

Having  found  that  Ruth  was  unhurt,  I  ran  to  the 
assistance  of  the  others.  The  gentleman  had  just 
arisen  from  a  cushion,  upon  which,  lying  flat  on  his 
back,  he  had  slid  over  the  grass,  still  holding  under 
one  arm  the  package  from  which  he  had  refused  to 
part.  I  helped  him  to  raise  the  elder  lady  to  her  feet. 
She  had  been  a  good  deal  shaken,  and  much  fright 
ened,  but  although  a  little  bruised,  she  had  received 
no  important  injury. 

I  went  to  fill  a  leather  pocket-cup  from  a  brook 
near  by,  and  when  I  returned  I  found  the  gentleman 
standing,  confronted  by  Mrs.  Leeks,  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
and  Ruth,  while  his  own  companions  were  regarding 
the  group  with  eager  interest. 

"Yes,"  he  was  saying,  "my  name  is  Dusante,  but 
why  do  you  ask  at  this  moment  ?  Why  do  you  show 
such  excited  concern  on  the  subject?" 


THE   DUSANTES.  55 

"Why?"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Leeks.  "I  will  tell  you 
why,  sir.  My  name  is  Mrs.  Leeks,  and  this  is  Mrs. 
Aleshiue,  and  if  you  are  the  Mr.  Dusaute  with  the 
house  on  the  desert  island,  this  is  the  Mrs.  Craig  who 
was  married  in  that  very  house,  and  the  gentleman 
here  with  the  water  is  Mr.  Craig,  who  wrote  you  the 
letter,  which  I  hope  you  got.  And  if  that  is  n't  reason 
enough  for  our  wanting  to  know  if  you  are  Mr.  Du- 
sante.  I  'd  like  to  be  told  what  more  there  could  be ! " 

"  It 's  them  !  Of  course  it 's  them  ! "  cried  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine.  "  I  had  a  feelin'  while  we  were  scootin'  down 
hill  that  they  was  near  and  dear  to  us,  though  exactly 
why  and  how,  I  did  n't  know.  And  she  's  told  me 
she 's  Lucille,  and  of  course  the  other  must  be  Emily, 
though  what  relations '-' 

"Am  I  to  understand,"  interrupted  the  gentleman, 
looking  with  earnest  animation  from  one  to  the  other 
of  us,  "  that  these  are  the  good  people  who  inhabited 
my  house  on  the  island  ?  " 

"  The  very  ones  !  "  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "And  what 
relation  are  you  to  Emily  ?  and  Lucille  to  her  ?  " 

The  gentleman  stepped  backward  and  laid  down  the 
package  which  he  had  held  under  his  arm,  and  ad 
vancing  toward  me  with  outstretched  hands,  and  with 
tears  starting  to  his  eyes,  .he  exclaimed  : 

"And  this  man  then,  to  whom  I  owe  so  much,  is 
Mr.  Craig ! " 

"Owe  me!"  I  said.  "It  is  to  you  that  we  owe  our 
very  lives,  and  our  escape  from  death  in  mid-ocean." 

"Do  not  speak  of  it,"  he  said,  shaking  his  head  with 
a  sorrowful  expression  on  his  face.  "You  owe  me 
nothing.  I  would  to  Heaven  it  were  not  so !  But  we 


56  THE   DUSANTES. 

will  not  talk  of  that  now.  And  this  is  Mrs.  Craig," 
he  continued,  taking  Ruth  by  the  hand,  "the  fair 
lady  whose  nuptials  were  celebrated  in  my  house. 
And  Mrs.  Leeks,  and  Mrs.  Aleshine."  As  he  spoke  he 
shook  hands  with  each.  "  How  I  have  longed  to  meet 
you!  I  have  thought  of  you  every  day  since  I  returned 
to  my  island,  and  discovered  that  you  had  been  —  I 
wish  I  could  say  —  my  guests.  And  where  is  the  rev 
erend  gentleman "?  And  the  three  mariners  ?  I  hope 
that  nothing  has  befallen  them  ! " 

"Alas !  — =-for  three  of  them  at  least,"  ejaculated  Mrs. 
Aleshine ;  "  they  have  left  us,  but  they  are  all  right. 
And  now,  sir,  if  you  could  tell  us  what  relation  you 
are  to  Emily,  and  what  Lucille " 

"  Barb'ry !  "  cried  Mrs.  Leeks,  making  a  dash  toward 
her  friend,  "  can't  you  give  the  man  a  minute  to 
breathe  ?  Don't  you  see  he  's  so  dumflustered  that  he 
hardly  knows  who  he  is  himself !  If  them  two  women 
was  to  sink  down  dead  with  "hunger  and  hard  slidin' 
right  afore  your  very  eyes  while  you  was  askin'  what 
relation  they  was  to  each  other  and  to  him,  it  would 
no  more  'n  serve  you  right !  We  'd  better  be  seein'  if 
anythin'  's  the  matter  with  'em,  and  what  we  can  do 
for  'em." 

At  this  moment  the  younger  of  Mr.  Dusante's  ladies 
quickly  stepped  forward.  "  O  Mrs.  Craig,  Mrs.  Leeks, 
and  Mrs.  Aleshine!"  she  exclaimed,  "I  'm  just  dying 
to  know  all  about  you  ! " 

"And  which,  contrariwise,"  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "is 
the  same  with  us,  exactly." 

"And  of  all  places  in  the  world,"  continued  the 
young  lady,  "  that  we  should  meet  here  ! " 


THE   DUSANTES.  57 

No  one  could  have  been  more  desirous  than  I  was 
to  know  all  about  these  Dusantes,  and  to  discuss  the 
strange  manner  of  our  meeting,  but  I  saw  that  Ruth 
was  looking  very  pale  and  faint,  and  that  the  elder 
Dusante  lady  had  sat  down  again  upon  the  ground, 
as  though  obliged  to  do  so  by  sheer  exhaustion,  and 
I  therefore  hailed  with  a  double  delight  the  interrup 
tion  of  further  explanations  by  the  appearance  of  two 
men  on  horseback  who  came  galloping  toward  us. 

They  belonged  to  the  house  which  I  had  noticed 
from  the  road  above,  and  one  of  them  had  seen  our 
swift  descent  down  the  mountain-side.  At  first  he  had 
thought  the  black  object  he  saw  sliding  over  the  snow 
slopes  was  a  rock  or  mass  of  underbrush,  but  his  keen 
eye  soon  told  him  that  it  was  a  group  of  human 
beings,  and  summoning  a  companion,  he  had  set  out 
for  the  foot  of  the  mountain  as  soon  as  horses  could 
be  caught  and  saddled. 

The  men  were  much  surprised  when  they  heard  the 
details  of  our  adventure,  but  as  it  was  quite  plain  that 
some  members  of  our  party  needed  immediate  nourish 
ment  and  attention,  the  questions  and  explanations 
were  made  very  short.  The  men  dismounted  from 
their  horses,  and  the  elder  Dusante  lady  was  placed 
upon  one  of  them,  one  man  leading  the  animal  and  the 
other  supporting  the  lady.  Ruth  mounted  the  other 
horse,  and  I  walked  by  her  to  assist  her  in  keeping  her 
seat,  but  she  held  fast  to  the  high  pommel  of  the 
saddle  and  got  on  very  well.  Mr.  Dusante  took  his 
younger  companion  on  one  arm,  and  his  package 
under  the  other,  while  Mrs.  Leeks,  having  relieved 
her  foot  from  the  encircling  bonnet,  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
11 


58  THE  DUSANTES. 

shine,  now  free  from  the  entangling  shawls,  followed 
in  the  rear.  The  men  offered  to  come  back  with  the 
horses  for  them  if  they  would  wait;  but  the  two  wo 
men  declared  that  they  were  quite  able  to  walk,  and 
intended  to  do  no  waiting,  and  they  trudged  vigor 
ously  after  us.  The  sun  was  now  high,  and  the  air 
down  here  was  quite  different  from  that  of  the  moun 
tain-side,  being  pleasant  and  almost  warm.  The  men 
said  that  the  snows  above  would  probably  soon  melt, 
as  it  was  much  too  early  in  the  season  for  snow  to  lie 
long  on  these  lower  sides  of  the  mountains. 

Our  way  lay  over  an  almost  level  plain  for  about  a 
mile.  A  portion  of  it  was  somewhat  rough,  so  that 
when  we  reached  the  low  house  to  which  we  were 
bound,  we  were  all  very  glad  indeed  to  get  there.  The 
house  belonged  to  the  two  men,  who  owned  a  small 
ranch  here.  One  of  them  was  married,  and  his  wife 
immediately  set  herself  to  work  to  attend  to  our  needs. 
Her  home  was  small,  its  rooms  few,  and  her  larder 
very  plain  in  quality;  but  everything  she  had  was 
placed  at  our  disposal.  Her  own  bed  was  given  to  the 
elder  Dusante  lady,  who  took  immediate  possession  of 
it;  and  after  a  quickly  prepared  but  plentiful  meal 
of  fried  pork,  corn-bread,  and  coffee,  the  rest  of  us 
stretched  ourselves  out  to  rest  wherever  we  could  find 
a  place.  Before  lying  down,  however,  I  had,  at  Ruth's 
earnest  solicitation,  engaged  one  of  the  men  to  ride  to 
the  railroad-station  to  inquire  about  Mr.  Enderton, 
and  to  inform  him  of  our  safety.  By  taking  a  route 
which  ran  parallel  with  the  mountain-chain,  but  at 
some  distance  from  it,  the  station,  the  man  said,  could 
be  reached  without  encountering  snow. 


THE  DUSANTES.  59 

None  of  us  had  had  proper  rest  during  the  past  two 
nights,  and  we  slept  soundly  until  dark,  when  we  were 
aroused  to  partake  of  supper.  All  of  us,  except  the 
elder  Dusante  lady,  who  preferred  to  remain  in  bed, 
gathered  around  the  table.  After  supper  a  large  fire, 
principally  of  brushwood,  was  built  upon  the  hearth; 
and  with  the  bright  blaze,  two  candles,  and  a  lamp, 
the  low  room  appeared  light  and  cheery.  We  drew  up 
about  the  fire  —  for  the  night  was  cool  —  on  whatever 
chairs,  stools,  or  boxes  we  could  find,  and  no  sooner  had 
we  all  seated  ourselves  than  Mrs.  Aleshine  exclaimed : 

"  Now,  Mr.  Dusante,  it  ain't  in  the  power  of  mortal 
man,  nor  woman  neither, —  an'  if  put  the  other  way  it 
might  be  stronger, — to  wait  any  longer  before  know- 
in'  what  relation  Lucille  is  to  Emily,  an'  you  to  them, 
an'  all  about  that  house  of  yours  on  the  island.  If  I  'd 
blown  up  into  bits  this  day  through  holdin'  in  my 
wantiii'  to  know,  I  should  n't  have  wondered  !  An'  it' 
it  had  n't  been  for  hard  sleep,  I  don't  believe  I  could 
have  held  in  nohow  !  " 

"  That 's  my  mind  exactly,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks;  ''and 
though  I  know  there 's  a  time  for  all  things,  and  don't 
believe  in  crowdin'  questions  on  played-out  people,  I 
do  think,  Mr.  Dusante,  that  if  I  could  have  caught  up 
with  you  when  we  was  comin'  over  here,  I  'd  have 
asked  you  to  speak  out  on  these  p'ints.  But  you  're 
a  long-legged  walker,  which  Mrs.  Aleshine  is  not,  and 
it  would  n't  have  done  to  leave  her  behind." 

"Which  she  would  n't  'a'  been,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  long  legs  or  short." 

Kuth  and  I  added  our  entreaties  that  Mr.  Dusante 
should  tell  his  story,  and  the  good  ranchman  and  his 


60  THE  DUSANTES. 

wife  said  that  if  there  was  anything  to  be  done  in  the 
story-telling  line  they  were  in  for  it,  strong ;  and  quit 
ting  their  work  of  clearing  away  supper  things,  they 
brought  an  old  hair  trunk  from  another  room  and  sat 
down  just  behind  Mrs.  Leeks. 

The  younger  Dusaute  lady,  who,  having  been  di 
vested  of  her  wraps,  her  veil,  and  the  woolen  shawl 
that  had  been  tied  over  her  head,  had  proved  to  be  a 
very  pretty  girl  with  black  eyes,  here  declared  that  it 
had  been  her  intention  at  the  first  opportunity  to  get 
us  to  tell  our  story,  but  as  we  had  asked  first,  she  sup 
posed  we  ought  to  be  satisfied  first. 

"  I  do  not  wish,  my  good  friends,"  said  Mr.  Dusante, 
u  to  delay  for  a  moment  longer  than  necessary  your 
very  pardonable  curiosity  concerning  me  and  my  fam 
ily  ;  and  I  must  say  at  the  same  time  that,  although 
your  letter,  sir,  gave  me  a  very  clear  account  of  your 
visit  to  my  island,  there  are  many  things  which  natu 
rally  could  not  be  contained  within  the  limits  of  a 
letter,  and  about  which  I  am  most  anxious  to  make 
inquiries.  But  these  I  will  reserve  until  my  own  nar 
ration  is  finished. 

"  My  name  is  Albert  Dusante.  It  may  interest  you 
to  know  that  my  father  was  a  Frenchman  and  my 
mother  an  American  lady  from  New  England.  I  was 
born  in  France,  but  have  lived  very  little  in  that  coun 
try,  and  for  a  great  part  of  my  life  have  been  a  mer 
chant  in  Honolulu.  For  the  past  few  years,  however, 
I  have  been  enabled  to  free  myself  in  a  great  degree 
from  the  trammels  of  business,  and  to  devote  myself 
to  the  pursuits  of  a  man  of  leisure.  I  have  never 
married,  and  this  young  lady  is  my  sister." 


THE  DUSANTES.  61 

"Then  what  relation/7  began  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "is  she 
to ?" 

At  this  moment  the  hand  of  Mrs.  Leeks,  falling 
heavily  into  the  lap  of  the  speaker,  stopped  this  ques 
tion,  and  Mr.  Dusante  proceeded : 

"  Our  parents  died  when  Lucille  was  an  infant,  and 
we  have  no  near  blood  relations." 

At  this,  the  faces  of  both  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  Mrs. 
Leeks  assumed  expressions  as  if  they  had  each  just 
received  a  letter  superscribed  in  an  unknown  hand, 
and  were  wondering  who  it  could  possibly  be  from. 

"The  lady  who  is  now  resting  in  the  adjoining 
room,"  continued  Mr.  Dusante,  "is  a  dear  friend  who 
has  been  adopted  by  me  as  a  mother.'7 

"  Upon  my  word ! 77  burst  from  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  in  as  much  unison  of  time  and  tone  as  if  the 
words  had  been  a  response  in  a  church  service,  while 
Miss  Lucille  leaned  back  against  the  wall  near  which 
she  sat,  and  laughed  gleefully.  Mr.  Dusante,  however, 
continued  his  statements  with  the  same  quiet  gravity 
with  which  he  had  begun. 

"  This  lady  was  a  dear  friend  of  my  mother,  although 
younger  than  she.  T  adopted  her  as  a  mother  to  my 
little  orphan  sister,  and,  consequently,  placed  her  in 
the  same  maternal  relation  to  myself,  doing  this  with 
much  earnest  satisfaction,  for  I  hoped  to  be  able  to 
return,  as  a  son,  something  of  the  tender  care  and 
affection  which  she  would  bestow  on  Lucille  as  a 
daughter.77 

"  And  she  is  Emily  ? 77  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"She  adopted  our  name,77  answered  the  speaker, 
"  and  she  is  Mrs.  Emily  Dusante." 


62  THE   DUSANTES. 

"And  she  is  your  adopted  mother?"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine. 

"  Adopted  mother  !  "  ejaculated  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"  Yes,"  answered  Mr.  Dusante. 

"  And  that  is  the  only  relation  she  is  to  you  two  ? " 
said  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"  And  you  to  her?"  added  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  Most  assuredly,"  answered  Mr.  Dusante. 

Here  Mrs.  Leeks  leaned  back  in  her  chair,  folded 
her  hands  in  her  lap,  and  ejaculated,  "  Well,  well ! " 
and  then  allowed  her  face  to  assume  a  rigid  inten 
tion  of  having  nothing  more  to  say  at  the  present 
moment. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,"  remarked  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
in  a  tone  which  indicated  that  she  did  not  care  who 
heard  her,  "  I  always  liked  Lucille  the  best !  " 

At  this  Ruth  and  I  exchanged  smiles  with  Miss  Lu 
cille,  and  Mr.  Dusante  proceeded : 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  occupy  too  much  of  your  time 
with  our  personal  affairs,  and  will  therefore  state  that 
the  island  on  which  you  found  refuge,  and  where  I 
wish,  most  heartily,  I  had  been  present  to  act  as  host, 
was  bought  by  me  as  a  retreat  from  the  annoyances 
of  business  and  the  exactions  of  society.  I  built  there 
a  good  house " 

"  "Which  it  truly  was,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  with 
fixtures  in  it  for  water,  and  letting  it  off,  which  I 
never  saw  in  a  house  so  far  out  of  town." 

"  I  furnished  it  suitably,"  said  Mr.  Dusante.  "  We 
had  books  and  music,  and  for  several  years  we  passed 
vacations  there  which  were  both  enjoyable  and  profit 
able.  But  of  late  my  sister  has  found  the  place  lonely, 


THE   DUSANTES.  63 

and  we  have  traveled  a  good  deal,  making  intermit 
tent  and  often  short  visits  to  the  island. 

"As  I  never  cared  to  leave  any  one  on  that  lonely 
spot  during  our  absences  from  it,  I  arranged  a  gate 
way  of  bars  across  the  only  opening  in  the  reef,  with 
the  intention  of  preventing  marauding  visits  from 
fishing-boats  or  other  small  craft  which  might  be 
passing  that  way.  As  the  island  was  out  of  the  or 
dinary  track  of  vessels,  I  did  not  imagine  that  my 
bars  would  ever  prove  an  obstacle  to  unfortunate 
castaways  who  might  seek  a  refuge  there." 

"Which  they  did  n't,"  remarked  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"for  under  we  bobbed." 

"  I  never  exactly  understood,"  said  Mr.  Dusante, 
"  and  I  hope  to  have  it  explained  to  me  in  due  time, 
how  you  passed  my  bars  without  removing  them,  and 
I  have  had  a  sore  weight  upon  my  conscience  since  I 
discovered  that  shipwrecked  persons,  fleeing  to  my 
house  from  the  perils  of  the  sea,  should  have  found 
those  inhospitable  bars  in  their  way " 

"  Which  is  a  weight  you  might  as  well  cast  off  and 
be  done  with  it,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  her  deep-set  notions 
on  the  rights  of  property  obliging  her  to  speak;  "for 
if  a  man  has  n't  a  right  to  lock  up  his  house  wrhen  he 
goes  away  and  leaves  it,  I  don't  know  what  rights 
anybody  has  about  anything.  Me,  or  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
or  anybody  else  here  who  has  a  house,  might  just  as 
well  go  off  travelin'  or  to  town  visitin'  and  leave  our 
front  door  unlocked  and  the  yard  gate  swing-in'  on  its 
hinges,  because  we  was  afraid  that  some  tramp  or 
other  body  with  no  house  or  home  might  come  along 
and  not  be  able  to  get  in  and  make  himself  comfort- 


64  THE   DUSANTES. 

able.  Your  business,  sir,  when  you  left  that  house 
and  all  your  belongiu's  on  that  island,  was  to  leave 
everything  tight  and  safe,  and  the  business  of  people 
sailin'  in  ships  was  to  go  on  their  proper  way  and  not 
be  rimuiu'  into  each  other.  And  if  these  last  men 
tioned  did  n't  see  fit  to  do  that  and  so  got  into  trouble, 
they  should  have  gone  to  some  island  where  there 
were  people  to  attend  to  'em,  just  as  the  tramps  should 
go  to  the  poorhouse.  And  this  is  what  we  would  have 
done —  not  meanin'  the  poorhouse  — if  we  had  n't  been 
so  over  long-headed  as  to  get  into  a  leaky  boat,  which, 
I  wish  it  understood,  is  sayin'  nothin'  against  Mr. 
Craig." 

"  That 's  true,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  for  nobody  has 
got  a  right  to  complain  that  a  fellow-bem'  locks  his 
own  door  after  him.  But  it  does  seem  to  me,  sir,  that 
in  such  scattered  neighborhoods  as  your  island  is  in, 
it  might  be  a  good  thing  to  leave  something  to  eat  an' 
drink — perhaps  in  a  bottle  or  in  a  tin  pail  —  at  the 
outside  of  your  bars  for  them  as  might  come  along 
shipwrecked  an'  not  be  able  to  get  inside  on  account 
of  bein'  obliged  to  come  in  a  boat,  an'  not  as  we  did ; 
an'  so  when  they  found  they  'd  have  to  go  on,  they 
might  have  somethin'  to  keep  up  their  strength  till 
they  got  to  another  house." 

"Now,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  '"when 
you  start  off  on  a  journey  to  Japan  or  any  other  place 
an'  leave  mince-pies  and  buttered  toast  a-stickiu'  on 
the  p'ints  of  your  palin's  for  tramps  that  might  come 
along  and  need  'em,  you  can  do  that  kind  of  talkin'. 
But  as  that  time  has  n't  come,  let  's  hear  the  rest  of 
Mr.  Dusante's  story." 


THE  DUSANTES.  65 

"When  I  first  visited  my  island  this  year,"  contin 
ued  the  narrator,  "  we  made  but  a  short  stay,  as  we 
were  all  desirous  of  taking  a  somewhat  extended  sea- 
voyage  in  my  steam-yacht.  We  visited  several  places 
of  interest,  and  when  we  returned,  just  six  weeks 
ago  to-day " 

"Just  one  week,  lackin'  a  day,"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"  after  we  left  that  spot !" 

"If  I  'd  'a'  knowed,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  rising  to 
her  feet,  "  that  you  'd  be  back  so  soon,  I  'd  'a'  made 
them  sailormen  live  on  fish,  I  'd  'a'  eat  garden  truck 
myself,  and  I  'd  be  bound  I  'd  'a'  made  the  flour  hold 
out  for  six  days  more  for  the  rest  of  'em,  if  I  'd  'a'  had 
to  work  my  fingers  to  the  skin  and  bone  to  do  it ! " 
Then  she  sat  down  solemnly. 

"When  we  returned,"  continued  Mr.  Dusante,  "I 
was  pleased  to  find  my  bars  intact;  and  when  these 
were  unlocked,  and  the  boat  from  our  yacht  went 
through  with  ourselves  and  our  servants,  it  was  very 
agreeable  to  notice  the  good  order  which  seemed  to 
prevail  everywhere.  As  we  passed  from  the  wharf  to 
the  house,  not  even  fallen  boughs  or  weeds  were  seen 
to  indicate  that  we  had  been  away  from  the  place  for 
more  than  two  months.  When  we  entered  the  house, 
my  mother  and  sister  immediately  ascended  to  their 
chambers,  and  when  the  windows  had  been  opened  I 
heard  them  from  above  calling  to  each  other  and 
remarking  upon  the  freshness  and  cleanliness  of  the 
rooms.  I  went  to  my  library,  and  when  I  had  thrown 
open  the  window  I  was  struck  with  the  somewhat 
peculiar  air  of  order  which  seemed  to  obtain  in  the 
room.  The  books  stood  upon  their  shelves  with  a  re- 


66  THE  DUSANTES. 

markable  regularity,  and  the  chairs  and  other  furni 
ture  were  arranged  with  a  precision  which  impressed 
me  as  unusual.  In  a  moment,  sir,  I  saw  your  letter 
upon  the  table  addressed  to  me.  Greatly  astonished, 
I  opened  and  read  it. 

"  When  I  had  finished  it,  my  amazement  was  great 
indeed ;  but  obeying  an  instant  impulse,  I  stepped 
into  the  dining-room,  which  a  servant  had  opened,  and 
took  the  ginger-jar  from  the  mantelpiece.  When  I 
lifted  from  it  the  little  brown-paper  parcel,  and  be 
neath  it  saw  the  money  which  had  been  mentioned  in 
the  letter,  you  may  imagine  the  condition  of  my  mind. 
I  did  not  take  out  the  money,  nor  count  it ;  but  cover 
ing  it  again  with  the  paper  parcel,  which  I  believed 
contained  fish-hooks,  and  with  the  jar  in  my  hands,  I 
returned  to  the  library,  where  I  sat  down  to  ponder 
upon  these  most  astounding  revelations.  While  so 
doing,  my  mother  and  sister  hastily  entered  the  room. 
Lucille  declared  in  an  excited  manner  that  she  believed 
that  the  brownies  or  some  other  fairies  had  been  there 
while  we  were  away  and  had  kept  the  house  in  order. 
The  whole  place  was  actually  cleaner,  she  said,  than 
when  we  left  it.  She  had  taken  down  a  thin  dress 
from  her  closet,  and  it  positively  looked  as  if  it  had 
just  come  from  the  hand  of  a  laundress,  with  the 
ruffles  ironed  smoother  and  more  evenly  than  they  had 
ever  been  since  it  was  first  stitched  together.  'Albert,' 
said  my  mother,  her  face  pale,  '  there  has  been  some 
body  in  this  house  ! '  Then  she  went  on  to  say  that 
the  windows,  which  were  left  unwashed  because  we 
went  away  in  somewhat  of  a  hurry,  were  as  bright 
and  clean  as  if  the  maids  had  just  been  rubbing  them  ; 


THE   DUSANTES.  67 

the  floors  and  furniture  were  cleaner  and  freer  from 
dust  than  they  had  ever  been  before ;  and  the  whole 
house  looked  as  if  we  had  just  left  it  yesterday.  '  In 
fact/  she  said,  '  it  is  unnaturally  clean  !  ": 

During  this  part  of  Mr.  Dusante's  story,  Mrs.  Leeks 
and  Mrs.  Aleshiue  sat  very  quiet,  with  an  air  of  sedate 
humility  upon  their  faces;  but  I  could  see  by  the 
proud  light  in  their  eyes  that  they  felt  their  superi 
ority  to  ordinary  women,  although  they  were  properly 
resolved  not  to  show  such  feeling. 

"At  that  moment,"  continued  Mr.  Dusante,  "a  ser 
vant  came  hurrying  into  the  room,  and  informed  us 
that  the  flour  was  all  gone,  and  that  there  was  scarcely 
anything  in  the  pantries  to  eat.  At  this  my  mother 
and  my  sister,  who  knew  that  an  abundance  of  pro 
visions  had  been  left  in  the  house,  looked  at  each 
other  aghast.  But  before  they  could  express  their 
consternation  in  words,  I  addressed  them.  'My  dear 
mother/  said  I,  'and  Lucille,  there  truly  has  been  some 
one  in  this  house.  By  this  letter  I  am  informed  that 
for  several  weeks  eight  persons  have  lived  here  under 
this  roof;  a  marriage  has  been  solemnized,  and  the 
happy  couple  have  gone  forth  from  our  doors.  These 
persons  have  eaten  our  food,  they  have  made  use  of 
our  property,  and  this  has  been  their  temporary  home. 
But  they  are  good  people,  honest  and  true-hearted,  for 
they  have  left  the  house  in  better  order  than  they 
found  it,  and  more  than  the  price  of  all  they  have 
consumed  is  in  that  ginger -jar.'  And,  thereupon,  I 
read  them  your  letter,  sir. 

"I  cannot  undertake  to  describe  the  wonder  and 
absorbing  interest  with  which  this  letter  filled  our 


68  THE  DUSANTES. 

minds.  All  needful  stores  were  brought  ashore  from 
the  yacht,  which  lay  outside  the  reef,  and  we  began 
our  usual  life  on  the  island ;  but  none  of  the  occupa 
tions  or  recreations  in  which  we  formerly  employed 
our  time  now  possessed  any  attractions  for  us.  Our 
minds  were  filled  with  thoughts  of  the  persons  who 
had  been  so  strangely  living  in  our  house ;  and  our 
conversation  was  mainly  made  up  of  surmises  as  to 
what  sort  of  people  they  were,  whether  or  not  we 
should  ever  see  them,  and  similar  suppositions." 

"  Yes,  indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Miss  Lucille,  ''I  thought 
of  you  by  day  and  by  night,  and  pictured  you  all 
in  various  ways,  but  never  as  you  really  are.  Some 
times  I  used  to  think  that  the  boat  in  which  you  went 
away  had  been  sunk  in  a  storm  in  which  you  were  all 
drowned,  and  that  perhaps  your  ghosts  would  come 
back  and  live  in  our  house,  and  sleep  in  our  beds,  and 
clean  our  windows,  and  wash  and  iron  our  clothes,  and 
do  all  sorts  of  things  in  the  night." 

"  Goodnessful,  gracious  me  ! "  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  don't  talk  that  way  !  The  idea  of  bein'  a  cold  ghost, 
goin'  about  in  the  dark,  is  worse  than  slidin'  down  a 
snow-mountain,  even  if  you  had  to  do  it  on  the  bare 
of  your  back." 

"  Barb'ry !  "  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  severely. 

"  The  idea  is  jus'  as  chillin',"  replied  her  undaunted 
friend. 

"  Two  things  connected  with  this  matter,"  continued 
Mr.  Dusante,  "  weighed  heavily  on  my  mind.  One  of 
these  I  have  already  mentioned — the  cruel  inhospi- 
tality  of  the  barred  entrance." 

I  had  refrained  from  adding  to  the  interruptions 


THE  DUSANTES.  69 

to  Mr.  Dusante's  narrative,  but  I  now  felt  impelled  to 
assure  the  gentleman,  on  behalf  of  myself  and  wife, 
that  we  shared  the  opinions  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  and  felt  that  he  could  in  no  way  be  blamed 
for  thus  protecting  his  private  property. 

"You  are  very  good,"  said  Mr.  Dusante,  ubut  I  will 
say  here  that  there  are  now  no  bars  to  that  entrance. 
I  have  left  some  people  on  the  island,  who  will  take 
care  of  my  property  and  succor  any  unfortunate  cast 
aways  wrho  may  arrive  there.  The  other  matter  to 
which  I  alluded  was,  however,  the  heavier  load  which 
oppressed  me.  This  was  the  money  in  the  ginger-jar. 
I  could  not  endure  to  reflect  that  I  had  been  paid  ac 
tual  money  for  the  hospitality  I  would  have  been  so 
glad  to  offer  to  you  poor  shipwrecked  people.  Every 
sentiment  of  my  being  rebelled  against  such  a  thing. 
I  was  grieved.  I  was  ashamed.  At  last  I  determined 
I  would  bear  no  longer  the  ignominy  of  this  brand 
of  inhospitality,  and  that,  with  the  ginger-jar  in  my 
hand,  I  would  search  over  the  world,  if  necessary, 
for  the  persons  who  in  my  absence  had  paid  board 
to  me,  and  return  to  them  the  jar  with  its  contents 
uncounted  and  untouched.  Your  letter  informed  me 
of  the  island  to  which  you  were  bound,  and  if  I  did 
not  find  you  there  I  could  discover  to  what  port  you 
had  taken  your  departure.  There  I  could  make 
further  inquiries,  and  so  follow  you.  When  I  pro 
posed  this  plan  to  my  family  they  agreed  to  it  in 
stantly,  for  their  interest  in  the  matter  was  almost 
as  great  as  mine;  and  in  a  day  or  two  we  started  on 
our  quest. 

"  I  easily  traced  you  to  San  Francisco,  and  found 


70  THE   DUSANTES. 

the  hotel  at  which  you  had  stopped.  Here  I  obtained 
fresh  news  of  you,  and  learned  that  you  had  started 
East,  and  that  the  destination  of  the  party  was  believed 
to  be  Philadelphia,  I  had  hoped  that  I  should  meet 
with  you  before  you  left  California;  but  supposing 
that  by  that  time  you  had  reached  your  destination, 
or  were,  at  least,  far  on  your  way,  I  yielded  to  the  so 
licitations  of  my  sister  and  made  some  excursions  in 
California,  intending  then  to  follow  you  to  Philadel 
phia  and  there  to  advertise  for  Mr.  Craig,  if  he  could 
not  otherwise  be  found.  However,  by  the  rarest  and 
most  fortunate  of  chances,  we  have  met  thus  early, 
and  for  this  I  can  never  be  too  devoutly  thankful." 

"  Nor  we,"  said  I  earnestly ;  "  for  our  greatly  de 
sired  acquaintance  with  you  and  your  family  could 
not  have  begun  too  soon." 

"Now,"  said  Mr.  Dusante,  "I  will  perform  the  duty 
for  which  my  journey  was  undertaken,  and  I  assure 
you  it  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  be  able,  so  soon,  to 
carry  out  this  cherished  purpose." 

He  then  took  up  from  the  floor  by  his  side  the  pack 
age  which  he  had  so  safely  guarded  during  his  swift 
and  perilous  descent  of  the  mountain-side,  and  which 
he  had  since  kept  close  by  him.  Placing  this  upon 
his  knee,  he  removed  the  light  shawl  in  which  it  had 
been  rolled,  and  then  several  pieces  of  wrapping-paper, 
revealing  to  our  eyes  the  familiar  fat  little  ginger-jar 
which  had  stood  on  the  mantelpiece  of  the  dining- 
room  in  the  house  on  the  island,  and  in  which  we  had 
deposited  our  board-money. 

"  It  would  be  simply  impossible  for  me,"  said  Mr. 
Dusante,  "  to  consent  to  retain  in  my  possession 


THE   DUSANTES.  71 

money  paid  for  the  aid  which  I  involuntarily  ren 
dered  to  shipwrecked  people.  Had  I  been  present 
on  the  island,  that  aid  would  have  been  most  heartily 
and  freely  given,  and  the  fact  of  my  absence  makes 
no  difference  whatever  in  regard  to  my  feelings  on 
the  subject  of  your  paying  for  the  food  and  shelter 
you  found  at  my  house.  Having  understood  from 
Mr.  Craig's  letter  that  it  was  Mrs.  Leeks  who  super 
intended  the  collection  and  depositing  of  the  money, 
I  now  return  to  you,  madam,  this  jar  with  its  cot- 
tents." 

"And  which,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  sitting  up  very 
rigidly,  with  her  hands  clasped  behind  her,  u  I  don't 
take.  If  it  had  been  a  day  and  a  night,  or  even  two 
nights  and  over  a  Sunday,  it  would  n't  have  mattered ; 
but  when  me  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  —  and  the  rest  of  the 
party  can  speak  for  themselves  —  stays  for  weeks  and 
weeks,  without  leave  or  license,  in  a  man's  house,  we 
pay  our  board  —  of  course,  deductin'  services.  Good 
night." 

With  that  she  arose,  and  walked,  very  erect,  into  the 
adjoining  room. 

"  It  was  all  very  well,  Mr.  Dusante,"  said  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  "  for  you  to  try  to  carry  out  what  you  thought 
was  right,  but  we  have  our  ideas  as  to  what  our  duty 
is,  an'  you  have  your  ideas  as  to  what  your  duty  is, 
an'  consciences  is  even." 

And  she  followed  her  friend. 

Mr.  Dusante  looked  surprised  and  troubled,  and  he 
turned  toward  me.  u  My  dear  sir,"  said  I,  "those  two 
good  women  are  very  sensitive  in  regard  to  right  and 
justice,  and  I  think  it  will  be  well  not  to  press  this 


72  THE   DUSANTES. 

subject  upon  them.  As  for  my  wife  and  I,  neither  of 
us  would  consent  to  touch  money  which  was  placed  in 
that  jar  by  Mrs.  Leeks  with  the  expectation  that  no 
one  but  you  or  one  of  your  family  would  take  it  out.'' 
"  Very  well,  sir,"  said  Mr.  Dusante,  replacing  the 
wrapping-paper  around  the  jar;  "I  will  drop  the 
subject  for  the  present.  But  you  will  allow  me  to 
say,  sir,  that  I  also  am  very  sensitive  in  regard  to 
right  and  justice." 

1  Early  the  next  morning  the  man  who  had  been 
sent  to  the  railroad-station  came  back,  bringing  news 
that  a  four-hors<?  wagon  wouW  shortly  be  sent  for  us, 
and  also  bearing  a  letter  from  Mr.  Enderton  to  Ruth. 
In  this  that  gentleman  informed  his  daughter  that  he 
was  quite  well,  but  that  he  had  suffered  anxiety  on 
account  of  her  probable  hardships  in  the  abandoned 
stage-coach.  He  had  hoped,  however,  that  the  snow 
which  had  precluded  his  return  with  assistance  had 
fallen  lightly  in  the  elevated  position  in  which  she 
had  been  left ;  and  he  had  trusted  also  that  Mr.  Craig 
had  bethought  himself  to  build  a  fire  somewhere  near 
the  coach,  where  his  daughter  might  be  warmed ;  and 
that  the  provisions,  of  which  he  knew  an  ample  quan 
tity  had  been  packed  for  the  trip,  had  been  properly 
heated  for  her  and  given  to  her  at  suitable  intervals. 
This  anxiety,  he  said,  had  added  very  much  to  his  own 
mental  disquietude  occasioned  by  the  violent  vitu 
perations  and  unjust  demands  of  the  driver  of  the 
stage-coach,  who  had  seen  fit  to  attack  him  with  all 
manner  of  abuse,  and  might  even  have  resorted  to 
personal  violence  had  it  not  been  for  the  interference 
of  bystanders  and  the  locking  of  his  room  door.  He 


THE   DUSANTES.  73 

was  now,  however,  much  relieved  by  the  departure  of 
this  driver,  and  by  the  news  that  his  daughter  had 
reached  a  place  of  safety,  which,  of  course,  he  had 
supposed  she  would  do,  her  detention  having  occurred 
on  an  ordinary  route  of  travel. 

While  waiting  for  the  arrival  of  the  wagon,  the  ad 
ventures  of  Mrs.  Leeks,  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  myself,  as 
well  as  those  of  Ruth  and  her  father,  from  the  time 
the  one  party  left  America  and  the  other  China,  were 
related  at  length  to  the  Dusaiites,  who  showed  a  deep 
interest  in  every  detail  and  asked  many  questions. 

Mrs.  Dusante,  whose  nervous  equilibrium  had  been 
fully  restored  by  her  night's  rest,  and  who,  although 
feeling  a  little  stiff  and  bruised,  now  declared  herself 
quite  well,  proved  to  be  a  very  pleasant  lady  of  fifty- 
five  or  thereabouts.  She  was  of  a  quiet  disposition,  but 
her  speech  and  manner  showed  that  in  former  years, 
at  least,  she  had  been  a  woman  of  society,  and  I  soon 
found  out  that  she  was  much  interested  in  the  study 
of  character.  This  interest  was  principally  shown  in 
the  direction  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  whom 
she  evidently  looked  upon  as  most  remarkable  women. 
If  any  of  her  sentiments  were  those  of  admiration, 
however,  they  were  not  returned  in  kind :  Mrs.  Leeks 
and  Mrs.  Aleshine  had  but  a  small  opinion  of  her. 

"  There  's  mother-in-laws,  and  stepmothers,  and  real 
mothers,  and  grandmothers,  and  sometimes  great- 
grandmothers  livin',"  said  Mrs.  Leeks  to  me  apart; 
"  but  though  Mr.  Dusante  may  be  a  well-meanin'  man 
—  and  I  don't  doubt  he  is  —  and  wishin',  I  have  n't 
the  least  reason  to  disbelieve,  to  do  his  whole  duty 
by  his  fellow-men,  still  I  must  say,  bein'  brought  up 
12 


74  THE   DUSANTES. 

as  I  was,  he  has  n't  any  right  to  make  a  new  kind  of 
mother.  To  be  sure,  a  man  can  adopt  children,  but 
that  is  n't  goin'  backward,  like  this  is,  which  is  agin 
nat'ral  law  and  gospel." 

'•I  expect,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  was  with  us, 
"that  them  French  has  got  fashions  that  we  don't 
know  about,  and  thankful  we  ought  to  be  that  we 
don't!  I  never  had  no  patience  with  French  heels  an' 
French  arsenic-green  beans,  an'  now  if  there  ?s  to  be 
adoptin'  of  mothers  in  this  country,  the  next  thing 
will  be  gullotynes." 

"I  don't  see,"  said  I,  "why  you  look  upon  the  Du- 
sautes  as  French  people.  They  are  just  as  much 
American  as  French." 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "it 's  not  for  me  and  Mrs. 
Aleshine  to  set  ourselves  up  to  judge  other  people. 
In  our  part  of  the  country  we  don't  adopt  mothers, 
but  if  they  do  it  in  France,  or  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
or  down  East,  I  don't  know  that  we  ought  to  have 
anythin'  to  say." 

"He  might  as  well  have  adopted  a  father  at  the 
same  time,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  although,  to  be  sure, 
he  would  'a'  had  to  been  particular  to  take  one  that 
was  acquainted  with  Mrs.  Dusante,  and  not  had  'em 
strangers  to  each  other,  though  parents  to  him." 

"If  I  was  you,  Barb'ry  Aleshine/'  said  Mrs.  Leeks, 
"I  'd  adopt  some  sort  of  rag  to  the  top  of  my  head  to 
serve  for  a  bonnet,  for  here  comes  the  wagon,  and  I 
suppose  now  we  '11  be  off." 

We  took  leave  of  the  kind-hearted  ranch  people,  who 
looked  upon  us  as  a  godsend  into  their  lonely  life,  and 
disposed  ourselves  as  comfortably  as  we  could  in  the 


THE   DUSANTES.  75 

large  wagon.  Our  journey  of  seven  or  eight  miles  to 
the  railroad-station  was  slow,  and  over  ways  that  were 
rough.  Mrs.  Dusante  was  a  delicate  woman  and  not 
used  to  hardship,  whereas  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  were  exceedingly  vigorous  and  tough.  The 
consequence  of  this  difference  was  that  the  kindly 
hearts  of  the  latter  prompted  them  to  do  everything 
they  could  to  prevent  Mrs.  Dusante  feeling  the  bumps 
and  jolts,  and  to  give  her  such  advantages  of  wraps 
and  position  as  would  help  her  to  bear  better  the 
fatigues  of  the  journey. 

In  doing  this  these  good  women  gradually  forgot 
the  adopted  mother  and  came  to  think  only  of  the 
very  pleasant  lady  who  needed  their  attentions,  and 
who  took  such  a  lively  and  agreeable  interest  in  their 
family  histories,  their  homes,  their  manner  of  living, 
and  everything  that  pertained  to  them;  and  before 
we  reached  the  end  of  our  trip,  these  three  were  talk 
ing  together  like  old  friends.  Ruth  and  Miss  Lucille 
had  also  struck  up  a  warm  acquaintance,  while  I  found 
Mr.  Dusante  a  very  entertaining  man, —  of  sedate  and 
careful  speech,  ingenious  ideas,  and  of  a  very  courte 
ous  disposition. 

"When  we  arrived  at  the  railroad-station  we  were 
met  by  Mr.  Enderton,  who  showed  a  moderate  degree 
of  pleasure  at  seeing  us  and  an  immoderate  amount 
of  annoyance,  exhibited  principally  to  me,  in  being 
obliged  to  give  up  to  the  women  of  our  party  the  large 
room  he  had  occupied  in  the  only  lodging-house  in  the 
little  settlement. 

When  I  informed  him  that  the  strangers  with  us 
were  the  Dusautes,  on  whose  island  we  had  been  stay- 


76  THE   DUSANTES. 

ing,  he  at  first  listened  vaguely.  He  had  always  looked 
upon  the  Dusante  family  as  a  sort  of  fable  used  by 
Mrs.  Leeks  to  countenance  her  exactions  of  money 
from  the  unfortunate  sojourners  on  the  island.  But 
when  I  told  him  what  Mr.  Dusante  had  done,  and  re 
lated  how  he  had  brought  the  board-money  with  him, 
and  had  offered  to  pay  it  back  to  us,  an  eager  interest 
was  aroused  in  him. 

"I  do  not  wonder/'  he  exclaimed,  "that  the  con 
science-stricken  man  wishes  to  give  the  money  back, 
but  that  any  one  should  refuse  what  actually  belongs 
to  him  or  her  is  beyond  my  comprehension !  One 
thing  is  certain  —  I  shall  receive  my  portion.  Fifteen 
dollars  a  week  for  my  daughter  and  myself  that  wo 
man  charged  me,  and  I  will  have  it  back." 

"  My  dear  sir/'  I  said.  "  your  board  was  reduced  to 
the  same  sum  as  that  paid  by  the  rest  of  us, —  four 
dollars  a  week  each." 

"  I  call  to  mind  no  reduction,"  said  Mr.  Enderton. 
"  I  remember  distinctly  the  exorbitant  sum  charged 
me  for  board  on  a  desert  island.  It  made  a  deep  im 
pression  upon  me." 

"  I  do  not  care  to  talk  any  further  on  this  subject/' 
I  said.  "  You  must  settle  it  with  Mrs.  Leeks." 

Mr.  Enderton  gave  a  great  sniff,  and  walked  away 
with  dignity.  I  could  not  but  laugh  as  I  imagined 
his  condition  two  minutes  after  he  had  stated  his 
opinions  on  this  subject  to  Mrs.  Leeks. 

When  Mr.  Dusante  had  started  from  San  Francisco 
on  his  search  for  us,  he  had  sent  his  heavy  baggage 
ahead  of  him  to  Ogden  City,  where  he  purposed  to 
make  his  first  stop.  He  supposed  that  we  might  pos- 


THE   DUSANTES.  77 

sibly  here  diverge  from  our  homeward-bound  route 
in  order  to  visit  the  Mormon  metropolis ;  and,  if  we 
had  done  so,  he  did  not  wish  to  pass  us.  It  was  there 
fore  now  agreed  that  we  should  all  go  to  Ogden 
City,  and  there  await  the  arrival  of  our  effects  left  in 
the  snowed-up  vehicles  on  the  mountain-side.  We 
made  arrangements  with  the  station-master  that  these 
should  be  forwarded  to  us  as  soon  as  the  stage-coach 
and  the  carriage  could  be  brought  down.  All  the 
baggage  of  my  party  was  on  the  coach,  and  it  con 
sisted  only  of  a  few  valises  bought  in  San  Francisco 
and  a  package  containing  two  life-preservers,  which 
Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  said  they  would  take 
home  with  them,  if  they  took  nothing  else. 

On  the  morning  after  our  arrival  at  Ogden  City, 
Mr.  Dusante  took  me  aside.  "  Sir,"  he  said,  "  I  wish 
to  confide  to  you  my  intentions  regarding  the  jar 
containing  the  money  left  by  your  party  in  my  house, 
and  I  trust  you  will  do  nothing  to  thwart  them. 
When  your  baggage  arrives,  you,  with  your  party, 
will  doubtless  continue  your  eastern  way,  and  we 
shall  return  to  San  Francisco.  But  the  jar,  with  its 
contents,  shall  be  left  behind  to  be  delivered  to  Mrs. 
Leeks.  If  you  will  take  charge  of  the  jar  and  hand 
it  to  her,  sir,  I  shall  be  obliged  greatly." 

I  promised  Mr.  Dusante  that  I  would  not  interfere 
with  his  intentions,  but  asserted  that  I  could,  on  110 
account,  take  charge  of  the  jar.  The  possession  of 
that  piece  of  pottery,  with  its  contents,  was  now  a 
matter  of  dispute  between  him  and  Mrs.  Leeks,  and 
must  be  settled  by  them. 

"Very  well,  then,  sir,"  he  said.     "I  shall  arrange 


78  THE   DUSANTES. 

to  depart  before  you  and  your  company,  and  I  shall 
leave  the  jar,  suitably  packed,  in  the  care  of  the  clerk 
of  this  hotel,  with  directions  to  hand  it  to  Mrs.  Leeks 
after  I  am  gone.  Thus  there  will  be  nothing  for  her 
to  do  but  to  receive  it." 

Some  one  now  came  into  the  smoking-room,  where 
we  were  sitting,  and  no  more  was  said  on  this  sub 
ject.  Mr.  Dusante's  statement  of  his  intention  very 
much  amused  me,  for  Mrs.  Leeks  had  previously 
taken  me  into  her  confidence  in  regard  to  her  inten 
tions  in  this  matter.  "  Mr.  Dusante,"  she  had  said, 
"  has  n't  dropped  a  word  more  about  the  money  in  that 
ginger-jar,  but  I  know  just  as  well  as  he  does  what 
he  's  goin'  to  do  about  it.  When  the  time  comes  to 
go,  he 's  goin'  to  slip  off  quietly,  leavin'  that  jar  be 
hind  him,  thinkin'  then  I  '11  be  obliged  to  take  it, 
there  bein'  nobody  to  give  it  back  to.  But  he  '11  find 
me  just  as  sharp  as  he  is.  I  've  got  the  street  and 
number  of  his  business  place  in  Honolulu  from  his 
sister, —  askin'  about  it  in  an  offhand  way,  as  if  it 
did  n't  mean  anything — an'  if  that  jar  is  left  for  me, 
I  '11  pack  it  in  a  box,  money  and  all,  and  I  '11  express 
it  to  Mr.  Dusante ;  and  when  he  gets  to  Honolulu 
he  '11  find  it  there,  and  then  he  '11  know  that  two  can 
play  at  that  sort  of  game." 

Knowing  Mr.  Dusante,  and  knowing  Mrs.  Leeks, 
I  pictured  to  myself  a  box  containing  a  ginger- 
jar,  and  covered  with  numerous  half -obliterated  ad 
dresses,  traveling  backward  and  forward  between  the 
Sandwich  Islands  and  Pennsylvania  during  the  life 
time  of  the  contestants,  and,  probably,  if  testamen 
tary  desire  should  be  regarded,  during  a  great  part  of 


THE   DUSANTES.  79 

the  lifetime  of  their  heirs.  That  the  wear  and  tear 
of  the  box  might  make  it  necessary  to  inclose  it  in  a 
keg,  and  that,  eventually,  the  keg  might  have  to  be 
placed  in  a  barrel,  and  that,  after  a  time,  in  a  hogs 
head,  seemed  to  me  as  likely  as  any  other  contingen 
cies  which  might  befall  this  peregrinating  ginger-jar. 

We  spent  three  days  in  Ogden  City,  and  then,  the 
weather  having  moderated  very  much,  and  the  snow 
on  the  mountains  having  melted  sufficiently  to  allow 
the  vehicles  to  be  brought  down,  our  effects  were  for 
warded  to  us,  and  my  party  and  that  of  Mr.  Dusante 
prepared  to  proceed  on  our  different  ways.  An  east 
ward-bound  train  left  that  evening  an  hour  after  we 
received  our  baggage,  but  we  did  not  care  to  depart 
upon  such  short  notice,  and  so  determined  to  remain 
until  the  next  day. 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Dusante  came  to  me  to  say  that 
he  was  very  glad  to  find  that  the  westward  train  would 
leave  Ogden  City  early  in  the  morning,  so  that  he  and 
his  family  would  start  on  their  journey  some  hours  be 
fore  we  should  leave.  "  This  suits  my  plans  exactly,'' 
he  said.  "  I  have  left  the  ginger-jar,  securely  wrapped, 
and  addressed  to  Mrs.  Leeks,  with  the  clerk  of  the 
hotel,  who  will  deliver  it  to-morrow  immediately  after 
my  departure.  All  our  preparations  are  made,  and  we 
purpose  this  evening  to  bid  farewell  to  you  and  our 
other  kind  friends,  from  whom,  I  assure  you,  we  are 
most  deeply  grieved  to  part." 

I  had  just  replied  that  we  also  regretted  extremely 
the  necessity  for  this  separation,  when  a  boy  brought 
me  a  letter.  I  opened  it,  and  found  it  was  from  Mr. 
Enderton.  It  read  as  follows  : 


80  THE  DUSANTES. 

DEAR  SIR  :  I  have  determined  not  to  wait  here  until  to-mor 
row,  but  to  proceed  eastward  by  this  evening's  train.  I  desire 
to  spend  a  day  in  Chicago,  and  as  you  and  the  others  will  prob 
ably  not  wish  to  stop  there,  I  shall,  by  this  means,  attain  my 
object  without  detaining  you.  My  sudden  resolution  will  not 
give  me  time  to  see  you  all  before  I  start,  but  I  have  taken  a 
hurried  leave  of  my  daughter,  and  this  letter  will  explain  my 
departure  to  the  rest. 

I  will  also  mention  that  I  have  thought  it  proper,  as  the 
natural  head  of  our  party,  both  by  age  and  position,  to  settle  the 
amicable  dispute  in  regard  to  the  reception  and  disposition  of 
the  money  paid,  under  an  excusable  misapprehension,  for  our 
board  and  lodging  upon  a  desert  island.  I  discovered  that  the 
receptacle  of  this  money  had  been  left  in  the  custody  of  the 
clerk,  addressed  to  Mrs.  Leeks, who  has  not  only  already  refused 
to  receive  it,  and  would  probably  do  so  again,  but  who  is,  in  my 
opinion,  in  no  wise  entitled  to  hold,  possess,  or  dispose  of  it. 
I,  therefore,  without  making  any  disturbance  whatever,  have 
taken  charge  of  the  package,  and  shall  convey  it  with  me  to 
Chicago.  When  you  arrive  there,  I  will  apportion  the  contents 
among  us  according  to  our  several  claims.  This  I  regard  as  a 
very  sensible  and  prudent  solution  of  the  little  difficulty  which 
has  confronted  us  in  regard  to  the  disposition  of  this  money. 
Yours  hurriedly.  DAVID  J.  ENDERTOX. 

P.  S.  I  shall  stop  at  Brandiger  s  Hotel,  where  I  shall  await  you. 


PART    III 


B.  ENDERTON'S  letter  astonished 
and  angered  me,  but  in  spite  of  my 
indignation,  I  could  not  help  smil 
ing  at  the  unexpected  way  in  which 
he  had  put  a  stop  to  the  probable 
perpetual  peregrinations  of  the  gin 
ger-jar.  I  handed  the  letter  to  Mr.  Dusante,  and  when 
he  had  read  it  his  face  flushed,  and  I  could  see  that  he 
was  very  angry,  although  he  kept  his  temper  under 
excellent  control. 

"  Sir,"  he  said  presently,  "  this  shall  not  be  allowed. 
That  jar,  with  its  contents,  is  my  property  until  Mrs. 
Leeks  has  consented  to  receive  it.  It  is  of  my  own 
option  that  I  return  it  at  all,  and  I  have  decided  to  re 
turn  it  to  Mrs.  Leeks.  Any  one  interfering  with  my 
intentions  steps  entirely  beyond  the  line  of  just  and 
warrantable  procedure.  Sir,  I  shall  not  go  westward 
to-morrow  morning,  but,  with  my  family,  will  accom 
pany  you  to  Chicago,  where  I  shall  require  Mr.  En- 
derton  to  return  to  me  my  property,  which  I  shall 
then  dispose  of  as  I  see  fit.  You  must  excuse  me, 
sir,  if  anything  I  have  said  regarding  this  gentle- 
si 


82  THE  DUSANTES. 

man  with  whom  you  are  connected  has  wounded  your 
sensibilities." 

"Oh,  don't  think  of  that,"  I  exclaimed.  "Pitch  into 
Enderton  as  much  as  you  please,  and  you  may  be  sure 
that  I  shall  not  object.  When  I  took  the  daughter  to 
wife,  I  did  not  marry  the  father.  But,  of  course,  for 
my  wife's  sake  I  hope  this  matter  will  not  be  made  the 
subject  of  public  comment." 

"You  need  have  no  fear  of  that,"  said  Mr.  Dusante; 
"and  you  will  allow  me  to  remark  that  Mr.  Enderton's 
wife  must  have  been  a  most  charming  lady." 

"Why  do  you  think  so?"  I  asked. 

"I  judge  so,"  he  answered,  with  a  bow,  "from  my 
acquaintance  with  Mrs.  Craig." 

I  now  went  immediately  to  Ruth,  who,  I  found, 
knew  nothing  of  what  had  occurred,  except  that  her 
father  had  gone  on  to  Chicago  in  advance  of  our  party, 
and  had  had  time  only  to  bid  her  a  hasty  good-by.  I 
made  no  remarks  on  this  haste  which  would  not  allow 
Mr.  Enderton  to  take  leave  of  us,  but  which  gave  him 
time  to  write  a  letter  of  some  length;  and  as  Ruth 
knew  nothing  of  this  letter,  I  determined  not  to  men 
tion  it  to  her.  Her  father's  sudden  departure  sur 
prised  her  but  little,  for  she  told  me  that  he  always 
liked  to  get  to  places  before  the  rest  of  the  party  with 
whom  he  might  be  journeying.  "  Even  when  we  go 
to  church,"  she  said,  "he  always  walks  ahead  of  the 
rest  of  us.  I  don't  understand  why  he  likes  to  do  so, 
but  this  is  one  of  his  habits." 

When  I  informed  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  of 
what  had  happened,  they  fairly  blazed. 

"I  don't  know  what  Mr.  Dusante  calls  it,"  exclaimed 
Mrs.  Leeks,  "but  I  know  what  I  call  it." 


THE  DUSANTES.  83 

"Yes,  indeed!"  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine,  her  round  eyes 
sparkling  with  excitement;  "if  that  is  n't  ex-honesty, 
then  he  ain't  no  ex-missionary !  I  pity  the  heathen 
he  converted ! " 

"I  '11  convert  him,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "if  ever  I  lay 
eyes  on  him !  Walkin'  away  with  a  package  with  my 
name  on  it !  He  might  as  well  take  my  gold  specta 
cles  or  my  tortoise-shell  comb !  I  suppose  there  's  no 
such  thing  as  ketchin'  up  with  him,  but  I  '11  telegraph 
after  him ;  an'  I  '11  let  him  know  that  if  he  dares  to 
open  a  package  of  mine,  I  '11  put  the  law  on  him ! " 

"  That 's  so,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  You  kin  send 
telegraphs  all  along  the  line  to  one  station  an'  another 
for  conductors  to  give  to  him  in  the  cars,  an'  directed 
to  Mr.  Enderton,  a  tall  man  with  gray-mixed  hair  an' 
a  stolen  bundle.  That  's  the  way  they  did  in  our 
place  when  Abram  Marly 's  wife  fell  into  the  cistern, 
an'  he  'd  jus'  took  the  cars  to  the  city,  an'  they  tele 
graphed  to  him  at  five  different  stations  to  know 
where  he  'd  left  the  ladder." 

"  Which  ain't  a  bad  idea,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "though 
his  name  will  be  enough  on  it  without  no  description ; 
an'  I  '11  do  that  this  minute,  an'  find  out  about  the 
stations  from  the  clerk." 

"  You  must  be  very  careful,"  I  said,  "  about  anything 
of  that  kind,  for  the  telegrams  will  be  read  at  the  sta 
tions,  and  Mr.  Enderton  might  be  brought  into  trouble 
in  a  way  which  we  all  should  regret;  but  a  despatch 
may  be  worded  so  that  he,  and  no  one  else,  would 
understand  it." 

"  Very  well,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  an'  let  's  get  at  it ; 
but  I  must  say  that  he  don't  deserve  bein'  saved  no 
trouble,  for  I  'm  as  sure  as  that  I  'm  a  livin'  woman 


84  THE  DUSANTES. 

that  he  never  saved  nobody  else  no  trouble  sence  the 
first  minute  he  was  born." 

The  following  despatch  was  concocted  and  sent  on 
to  Bridger,  to  be  delivered  to  Mr.  Enderton  on  the 
train : 

The  package  you  know  of  has  been  stolen.  You  will  recognize 
the  thief.  If  he  leaves  it  at  Chicago  hotel,  let  him  go.  If  he 
opens  it,  clap  him  in  jail.  MRS.  LECKS. 

"  I  think  that  will  make  him  keep  his  fingers  off  it," 
said  Mrs.  Leeks;  "  an'  if  Mr.  Dusaute  chooses  to  send 
somethin'  of  the  same  kind  to  some  other  station,  it 
won't  do  no  harm.  An'  if  that  Endertou  gets  so  skeered 
that  he  keeps  out  of  sight  and  hearin'  of  all  of  us,  it  '11 
be  the  best  thing  that 's  happened  yet.  An'  I  want 
you  to  understan',  Mr.  Craig,  that  nothin'  's  goin'  to 
be  said  or  done  to  make  your  wife  feel  bad ;  an'  there 's 
no  need  of  her  hearin'  about  what  's  been  done  or 
what 's  goin7  to  be  done.  But  I  '11  say  for  her,  that 
though,  of  course,  Mr.  Enderton  is  her  father  aud  she 
looks  up  to  him  as  such,  she  's  a  mighty  deal  livelier 
and  gayer-hearted  when  he  's  away  than  when  he  's 
with  her.  An'  as  for  the  rest  of  us,  there  's  no  use 
sayin'  anythin'  about  our  resignedness  to  the  loss  of 
his  company." 

"  I  should  say  so,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine ;  "  for  if  there 
ever  was  a  man  who  thought  of  himself  ninety-nine 
times  before  he  thought  of  anybody  else  once,  an'  then 
as  like  as  not  to  forgit  that  once,  he  's  the  man.  An' 
it 's  not,  by  no  means,  that  I  'm  down  on  missionaries, 
for  it 's  many  a  box  I  Ve  made  up  for  'em,  an'  never 
begrudged  neither  money  nor  trouble,  an'  will  do  it 


THE  DUSANTES.  85 

ag*m  many  times,  I  hope.  But  he  ought  n't  to  be 
called  one,  havin'  given  it  up, —  unless  they  gave  him 
up,  which  there  's  no  knowin'  which  it  was, —  for  if 
there  's  any  thin'  which  shows  the  good  in  a  man  it  's 
his  bein'  willin'  to  give  up  the  comforts  of  a  Christian 
land  an'  go  an'  convert  heathens ;  though  bein'  willin' 
to  give  up  the  heathens  an'  go  for  the  comforts  shows 
him  quite  different,  besides,  as  like  as  not,  chargin' 
double,  an'  only  half  convertinV 

Mr.  Dusante  was  fully  determined  to  go  on  with  us 
until  he  had  recovered  possession  of  the  ginger-jar. 
His  courteous  feelings  toward  Mrs.  Craig  and  myself 
prevented  his  saying  much  about  Mr.  Enderton,  but 
I  had  good  reason  to  believe  that  his  opinions  in  re 
gard  to  my  father-in-law  were  not  very  different  from 
those  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine.  Ever  since 
Mr.  Enderton  had  shown  his  petulant  selfishness,  when 
obliged  to  give  up  his  room  at  the  railroad-station  for 
the  use  of  the  women  of  his  party,  Mr.  Dusante  had 
looked  upon  him  coldly,  and  the  two  had  had  but  little 
to  say  to  each  other. 

We  were  all  very  glad  that  our  pleasant  party  was 
not  to  be  broken  up;  and  although  there  was  no  res 
ignation  at  the  absence  of  the  ginger-jar,  we  started 
on  our  journey  the  next  day  in  a  pleasanter  mood  for 
the  absence  of  Mr.  Enderton.  Before  we  left,  Mr.  Du 
sante  sent  a  telegram  to  Kearney  Junction,  to  be  de 
livered  to  Mr.  Enderton  when  he  arrived  there.  What 
this  message  was  I  do  not  know,  but  I  imagine  its  tone 
was  decided. 

Our  journey  to  Chicago  was  a  pleasant  one.  We 
had  now  all  become  very  well  acquainted  with  each 


86  THE   DUSANTES. 

other,  and  there  was  no  discordant  element  in  the 
combined  party.  Some  of  us  were  a  little  apprehen 
sive  of  trouble,  or  annoyance  at  least,  awaiting  us  in 
Chicago,  but  we  did  not  speak  of  it;  and  while  Ruth 
knew  nothing  of  her  father's  misbehavior,  it  might 
have  been  supposed  that  the  rest  had  forgotten  it. 

At  Chicago  we  went  at  once  to  Brandiger's  Hotel, 
and  there  we  found,  instead  of  Mr.  Enderton,  a  letter 
from  him  to  Ruth.  It  read  as  follows: 

MY  DEAR  DAUGHTER  :  I  have  determined  not  to  wait  here,  as 
originally  intended,  but  to  go  on  by  myself.  I  am  sorry  not  to 
meet  you  here,  but  it  will  not  be  long  before  we  are  together 
again,  and  you  know  I  do  not  like  to  travel  with  a  party.  Its 
various  members  always  incommode  me  in  one  way  or  another. 
I  had  proposed  to  go  to  Philadelphia  and  wait  for  you  there,  but 
have  since  concluded  to  stop  at  Meadowville,  a  village  in  the 
interior  of  Pennsylvania,  where,  as  they  have  informed  me,  the 
two  women,  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  reside.  I  wish  to 
see  the  party  all  together  before  I  take  final  leave  of  them,  and 
I  suppose  the  two  women  will  not  consent  to  go  any  farther 
than  the  country  town  in  which  they  live.  Inclosed  is  a  note  to 
your  husband  relating  to  business  matters.  I  hope  that  he  will 
take  the  best  of  care  of  you  during  the  rest  of  the  journey,  and 
thus  very  much  oblige  YOUR  AFFECTIONATE  FATHER. 

This  was  my  note  : 

MR.  CRAIG.  SIR  :  I  should  have  supposed  that  you  would  have 
been  able  to  prevent  the  insolent  messages  which  have  been 
telegraphed  to  me  from  some  members  of  your  party,  but  it 
is  my  lot  to  be  disappointed  in  those  in  whom  I  trust.  I  shall 
make  no  answer  to  these  messages,  but  will  say  to  you  that  I  am 
not  to  be  browbeaten  in  my  intention  to  divide  among  its  right 
ful  claimants  the  money  now  in  my  possession.  It  is  not  that  I 
care  for  the  comparatively  paltry  sum  that  will  fall  to  myself 
and  my  daughter,  but  it  is  the  principle  of  the  matter  for  which 


THE   DUSANTES.  87 

I  am  contending.  It  was  due  to  me  that  the  amount  should  have 
been  returned  to  me,  and  to  no  other,  for  me  to  make  the  proper 
division.  I  therefore  rest  upon  my  principles  and  my  rights; 
and,  desiring  to  avoid  needless  altercations,  shall  proceed  to 
Meadowville,  where,  when  the  rest  of  my  party  arrive,  I  shall 
justly  apportion  the  money.  I  suppose  the  man  Dusante  will 
not  be  foolish  enough  to  protract  his  useless  journey  farther  than 
Chicago.  It  is  your  duty  to  make  him  see  the  impropriety  of  so 
doing.  Yours,  etc., 

D.  J.  ENDERTON. 

Ruth's  letter  was  shown  to  all  the  party,  and  mine 
in  private  to  Mr.  Dusaiite,  Mrs.  Leeks,  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine.  When  the  first  moments  of  astonishment  were 
over,  Mrs.  Leeks  exelaimed: 

"Well,  after  all,  I  don't  know  that  I  'm  so  very  sorry 
that  the  old  sneak  has  done  this,  for  now  we  're  rid 
of  him  for  the  rest  of  the  trip ;  and  I  'm  pretty  certain, 
from  the  way  he  writes,  that  he  has  n't  dipped  into 
that  jar  yet.  We  've  skeered  him  from  doin'  that." 

"But  the  impidence  of  him!"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine. 
"Think  of  his  goin'  to  the  very  town  where  we  live 
an'  gittin'  there  fust!  He  '11  be  settiii'  on  that  tavern 
porch  with  every  loafer  in  the  place  about  him,  an' 
tellin'  'em  the  whole  story  of  what  happened  to  us 
from  begiunin'  to  end,  till  by  the  time  we  git  there 
it  '11  be  all  over  the  place  an'  as  stale  as  last  week's 
bread." 

"  '  The  man  Dusante,'"  quietly  remarked  that  indi 
vidual,  "  will  not  abandon  the  purpose  of  his  journey. 
He  left  his  island  to  place  in  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Leeks, 
011  behalf  of  her  party,  the  ginger-jar  with  the  money 
inclosed.  He  will  therefore  go  on  with  you  to  Mea 
dowville,  and  will  there  make  formal  demand,  and,  if 


88  THE  DUSANTES. 

necessary,  legal  requisition,  for  the  possession  of  that 
jar  and  that  money ;  after  which  he  will  proceed  to 
carry  out  his  original  intentions." 

We  all  expressed  our  pleasure  at  having  him,  with 
his  ladies,  as  companions  for  the  remainder  of  our 
journey,  and  Mrs.  Leeks  immediately  offered  them  the 
hospitalities  of  her  house  for  as  long  a  time  as  they 
might  wish  to  stay  with  her. 

"The  weather  there,"  she  said,  "is  often  splendid 
till  past  Thanksgivin'  Day,  an'  nobody  could  be  wel- 
comer  than  you." 

"  I  'd  have  asked  you  myself,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine, 
"  if  Mrs.  Leeks  had  n't  done  it, —  which  of  course  she 
would,  bein'  alive, —  but  I  'm  goin'  to  have  Mr.  Craig 
an'  his  wife,  an'  as  our  houses  is  near,  we  '11  see  each 
other  all  the  time.  An'  if  Mr.  Eaderton  chooses  to  stay 
awhile  at  the  tavern,  he  can  come  over  to  see  his 
daughter  whenever  he  likes.  I  '11  go  as  fur  as  that, 
though  no  further  can  I  go.  I  'm  not  the  one  to  turn 
anybody  from  my  door,  be  he  heathen,  or  jus'  as  bad, 
or  wuss.  But  tea  once,  or  perhaps  twice,  is  all  that  I 
can  find  it  in  my  heart  to  offer  that  man  after  what 
he  's  done." 

As  the  Dusantes  and  Ruth  expressed  a  desire  to  see 
something  of  Chicago,  where  they  had  never  been  be 
fore,  we  remained  in  this  city  for  two  days,  feeling 
that,  as  Mr.  Enderton  would  await  our  coming,  there 
was  no  necessity  for  haste. 

Early  in  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  I  went  into 
the  parlor  of  the  hotel,  where  I  expected  to  find  our 
party  prepared  for  a  sight-seeing  excursion;  but  I 
found  the  room  tenanted  only  by  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who 


THE   DUSANTES.  80 

was  sitting  with  her  bonnet  and  wraps  on,  ready  to 
start  forth.  I  had  said  but  a  few  words  to  her  when 
Mrs.  Leeks  entered,  bonnetless  and  shawlless,  and 
with  her  knitting  in  her  hand.  She  took  a  seat  in  a 
large  easy-chair,  put  on  her  spectacles,  and  proceeded 
to  knit. 

"  Mrs.  Leeks ! "  exclaimed  her  friend  in  surprise, 
"  don't  you  intend  goin'  out  this  afternoon  ? " 

"  No,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks.  "  1 've  seen  all  I  want  to 
see,  an'  I  'm  goin'  to  stay  in  the  house  an'  keep  quiet." 

"  Is  n't  Mr.  Dusante  goin'  out  this  afternoon?  "  asked 
Mrs.  Aleshine. 

Mrs.  Leeks  laid  her  knitting  in  her  lap ;  then  she 
took  off  her  spectacles,  folded  them,  and  placed  them 
beside  the  ball  of  yarn ;  and,  turning  her  chair  around, 
she  faced  her  friend.  "  Barb'ry  Aleshine,"  said  she, 
speaking  very  deliberately,  "has  any  such  a  thing 
got  into  your  mind  as  that  I  'm  settin'  my  cap  at  Mr. 
Dusante  ? " 

"  I  don't  say  you  have,  an'  I  don't  say  you  have  n't," 
answered  Mrs.  Aleshine,  her  fat  hands  folded  on  her 
knees,  and  her  round  face  shining  from  under  her  new 
bonnet  with  an  expression  of  hearty  good  will,  "  but 
this  I  will  say, —  an'  I  don't  care  who  hears  it, —  that 
if  you  was  to  set  your  cap  at  Mr.  Dusante  there 
need  n't  nobody  say  any  thin'  agin  it,  so  long  as  you 
are  content.  He  is  n't  what  I  'd  choose  for  you,  if 
I  had  the  choosin',  for  I  'd  git  one  with  an  Ameri 
can  name  an'  no  islands.  But  that  's  neither  here 
nor  there,  for  you  're  a  grown  woman  an'  can  do  your 
own  choosin'.  An'  whether  there  's  any  choosin'  to  be 
done  is  your  own  business  too,  for  it 's  full  eleven  years 
13 


90  THE   DUSANTES. 

sence  you  've  been  done  with  widder  fixin's;  an'  if  Mr. 
Leeks  was  to  rise  up  out  of  his  grave  this  minute,  he 
could  n't  put  his  hand  on  his  heart  an'  say  that  you 
had  n't  done  your  full  duty  by  him,  both  before  an' 
after  he  was  laid  away.  An'  so,  if  you  did  want  to  do 
choosin',  an'  made  up  your  mind  to  set  your  cap  at 
Mr.  Dusante,  there  's  no  word  to  be  said.  Both  of 
you  is  ripe-aged  an'  qualified  to  know  your  own  minds, 
an'  both  of  you  is  well  off  enough,  to  all  intents  an' 
purposes,  to  settle  down  together,  if  so  inclined.  An' 
as  to  his  sister,  I  don't  expect  she  will  be  on  his  hands 
for  long.  An'  if  you  can  put  up  with  an  adopted 
mother-in-law,  that 's  your  business,  not  mine;  though 
I  allus  did  say,  Mrs.  Leeks,  that  if  you  'd  been  'Pisco- 
palian,  you  'd  been  Low  Church." 

"  Is  that  all!"  said  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"Yes,"  replied  the  other;  "it  's  all  I  have  to  say 
jus'  now,  though  more  might  come  to  me  if  I  gave 
my  mind  to  it." 

"Well,  then,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  I  Ve  somethin'  to 
say  on  this  p'iut,  and  I  'm  very  glad  Mr.  Craig  is  here 
to  hear  it.  If  I  had  a  feelin'  in  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Dusante  that  he  was  a  man,  though  not  exactly  what 
I  might  wish,  havin'  somethin'  of  foreign  manners 
with  ties  in  the  Sandwich  Islands,  which  I  should  n't 
have  had  so  if  I  'd  had  the  orderin'  of  it,  who  was  still 
a  Christian  gentleman, —  as  showed  by  his  acts,  not 
his  words, —  a  lovin'  brother ;  an'  a  kind  an'  attentive 
son  by  his  own  adoption  ;  and  who  would  make  me  a 
good  husband  for  the  rest  of  our  two  lives ;  then  I  'd 
go  and  I  'd  set  my  cap  at  him —  not  bold  nor  flauntin' 
nor  unbecomin'  to  a  woman  of  my  age,  but  just  so 


THE   DUSANTES.  91 

much  settin'  of  it  at  him,  that  if  he  had  any  feelin's 
in  my  direction,  and  thought,  although  it  was  rather 
late  in  life  for  him  to  make  a  change,  that  if  he  was 
goin'  to  do  it  he  'd  rather  make  that  change  with  a 
woman  who  had  age  enough,  and  experience  enough, 
in  downs  as  well  as  ups,  and  in  married  life  as  well 
as  single,  to  make  him  feel  that  as  he  got  her  so  he  'd 
always  find  her ;  then  I  say  all  he  'd  have  to  do  would 
be  to  come  to  me  an'  say  what  he  thought,  an'  I  'd  say 
what  I  thought,  an'  the  thing  would  be  settled,  an'  no 
body  in  this  world  need  have  one  word  to  say,  except 
to  wish  us  joy,  an'  then  go  along  and  attend  to  their 
own  business. 

"  But  now  I  say  to  you,  Barb'ry  Aleshine,  an'  just 
the  same  to  you,  Mr.  Craig,  that  I  have  n't  got  no 
such  feelin's  in  the  direction  of  Mr.  Dusante,  an'  I 
don't  intend  to  set  my  cap  at  him,  an'  if  he  wore  such 
a  thing  and  set  it  at  me,  I  'd  say  to  him,  kind  though 
firm,  that  he  could  put  it  straight  again  as  far  as  I 
was  concerned ;  an'  that  if  he  choose  to  set  it  at  any 
other  woman,  if  the  nearest  an'  dearest  friend  I  have 
on  earth,  I  'd  do  what  I  could  to  make  their  married 
lives  as  happy  as  they  could  be  under  the  circum 
stances  ;  and  no  matter  what  happened,  I  would  n't 
say  one  word,  though  I  might  think  what  I  pleased. 
An'  now  you  have  it,  all  straight  and  plain :  if  I 
wanted  to  set  caps,  I  'd  set  'em  ;  and  if  I  did  n't  want 
to  set  'em,  I  would  n't.  I  don't  want  to,  and  I  don't." 

And,  putting  on  her  spectacles,  she  resumed  her 
knitting. 

Mrs.  Aleshine  turned  upon  her  friend  a  beaming 
face. 


92  THE   DUSANTES. 

"Mrs.  Leeks/'  she  said,  "  your  words  has  lifted  a  load 
from  off  my  mind.  It  would  n't  ha'  broke  me  down, 
an'  you  would  n't  never  have  knowed  I  carried  it ; 
but  it 's  gone,  an'  I  'm  mighty  glad  of  it.  An'  as  for 
me  an'  iny  cap, —  an'  when  you  spoke  of  nearest  and 
dearest  friends,  you  could  n't  meant  nobody  but  me, — 
you  need  n't  be  afraid.  No  matter  what  I  was,  nor 
what  he  was,  nor  what  I  thought  of  him,  nor  what  he 
thought  of  me,  I  could  n't  never  say  to  my  son  when 
he  comes  to  his  mother's  arms,  all  the  way  from 
Japan  :  '  George,  here  's  a  Frenchman  who  I  give  to 
you  for  a  father ! ' ' 

Here  I  burst  out  laughing,  but  Mrs.  Leeks  gravely 
remarked:  "Now  I  hope  this  business  of  cap-settin' 
is  settled  an'  done  with." 

"  Which  it  is,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  as  she  rose  to 
meet  the  rest  of  our  party  as  they  entered  the  room. 

For  several  days  I  could  not  look  upon  the  dignified 
and  almost  courtly  Mr.  Dusante  without  laughing  in 
ternally  and  wondering  what  he  would  think  if  he 
knew  how,  without  the  slightest  provocation  on  his 
side,  a  matrimonial  connection  with  him  had  been 
discussed  by  these  good  women,  and  how  the  matter 
had  been  finally  settled.  I  think  he  would  have  con 
sidered  this  the  most  surprising  incident  in  the  whole 
series  of  his  adventures. 

On  our  journey  from  Chicago  to  the  little  country 
town  in  the  interior  of  Pennsylvania  we  made  a  few 
stops  at  points  of  interest  for  the  sake  of  Ruth  and 
the  Dusante  ladies,  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  gen 
erously  consenting  to  these  delays,  although  I  knew 
they  felt  impatient  to  reach  their  homes.  They  were 


THE   DUS  ANTES.  93 

now  on  most  social  terms  with  Mrs.  Dusante,  and  the 
three  chatted  together  like  old  friends. 

"  I  asked  her  if  we  might  call  her  Emily,"  said  Mrs. 
Aleshiue  in  confidence  to  me,  "an'  she  said,  'yes/  an' 
we  're  goin'  to  do  it.  I  've  all  along  wanted  to,  be 
cause  it  seemed  to  come  nat'ral,  considerin'  we  knowed 
'em  as  Emily  and  Lucille  before  we  set  eyes  on  'em. 
But  as  long  as  I  had  that  load  on  my  mind  about 
Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mr.  Dusante,  I  could  n't  '  Emily '  his 
adopted  mother.  My  feelin's  would  n't  ha'  stood 
it.  But  now  it  's  all  right ;  an'  though  Emily  is  n't 
the  woman  I  expected  her  to  be,  Lucille  is  the  very 
picter  of  what  I  thought  she  was.  And  as  for  Emily, 
I  never  knowed  a  nicer-mannered  lady,  an'  more 
willin'  to  learn  from  people  that  's  had  experience, 
than  she  is." 

We  arrived  at  Meadow ville  early  in  the  afternoon, 
and  when  our  party  alighted  from  the  train  we  were 
surprised  not  to  see  Mr.  Endertou  on  the  platform  of 
the  little  station.  Instead  of  him,  there  stood  three 
persons  whose  appearance  amazed  and  delighted  us. 
They  were  the  red-bearded  coxswain  and  the  two 
sailor  men,  all  in  neat  new  clothes  and  with  their 
hands  raised  in  maritime  salute. 

There  was  a  cry  of  joy.  Mrs.  Aleshine  dropped 
her  bag  and  umbrella,  and  rushed  toward  them  with 
outstretched  hands.  In  a  moment  Mrs.  Leeks,  Ruth, 
and  myself  joined  the  group,  and  greeted  warmly  our 
nautical  companions  of  the  island. 

The  Dusante  party,  when  they  were  made  acquainted 
with  the  mariners,  were  almost  as  much  delighted  as 
we  were,  and  Mr.  Dusante  expressed  in  cordial  words 


94  THE  DUSANTES. 

his  pleasure  in  meeting  the  other  members  of  the 
party  to  whom  his  island  had  given  refuge. 

"  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  "  that 
I  don't  know  my  bonnet  from  my  shoes!  But  how, 
in  the  name  of  all  that  's  wonderful,  did  you  get 
here?" 

"'T  ain't  much  of  a  story," said  the  coxswain,  "an' 
this  is  just  the  whole  of  it.  When  you  left  us  at 
'Frisco  we  felt  pretty  downsome,  an'  the  more  that 
way  because  we  could  n't  find  no  vessel  that  we  cared 
to  ship  on ;  an'  then  there  come  to  town  the  agent  of 
the  house  that  owned  our  brig,  and  we  was  paid  off 
for  our  last  v'yage.  Then,  when  we  had  fitted  our 
selves  out  with  new  togs,  we  began  to  think  different 
about  this  shippin'  on  board  a  merchant  vessel,  an' 
gettin'  cussed  at  an'  livin'  on  hard-tack  an'  salt  prog, 
an'  jus'  as  like  as  not  the  ship  springin'  a  leak  an'  all 
hands  pumpin'  night  an'  day,  an'  goin'  to  Davy  Jones 
after  all.  An'  after  talkin'  this  all  over,  we  was  struck 
hard  on  the  weather-bow  with  a  feelin'  that  it  was  a 
blamed  sight  better  —  beggin'  your  pardon,  ma'am  — 
to  dig  garden-beds  in  nice  soft  dirt,  an'  plant  peas,  an' 
ketch  fish,  an'  all  that  kind  of  shore  work,  an'  eatin' 
them  good  things  you  used  to  cook  for  us,  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  and  dancin'  hornpipes  for  ye,  and  tamin'  birds 
when  our  watch  was  off.  Was  n't  that  so,  Jim  an'  Bill ! " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir  !  "  said  the  black-bearded  sailor  men. 

11  Then  says  I,  '  Now  look  here,  mates,  don't  let 's 
go  and  lark  away  all  this  money,  but  take  it  an'  make 
a  land  trip  to  where  Mrs.  Aleshine  lives,'  which  port 
I  had  the  name  of  on  a  piece  of  paper  which  you  gave 
me,  ma'am." 


THE   DUSANTES.  95 

And  here  Mrs.  Aleshine  nodded  vigorously,  not  be 
ing  willing  to  interrupt  this  entrancing  story. 

"  '  An'  if  she  's  got  another  garden,  an'  wants  it  dug 
in,  an'  things  planted,  an'  fish  caught,  an'  any  other 
kind  of  shore  work  done,  why,  we  're  the  men  for  her ; 
an'  we  '11  sign  the  papers  for  as  long  a  v'yage  as  she 
likes,  and  stick  by  her  in  fair  weather  or  foul,  bein' 
good  for  day  work  an'  night  work,  an'  allus  ready  to 
fall  in  when  she  passes  the  word.'  Ain't  that  so,  Jim 
and  Bill!" 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir ! "  returned  the  sailor  men  with  so 
norous  earnestness. 

'•  Upon  my  word! "  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine,  tears  of  joy 
running  down  her  cheeks,  "  them  papers  shall  be 
signed  if  I  have  to  work  night  an'  day  to  find  some- 
thin'  for  you  -to  do.  I  've  got  a  man  takin'  keer  of 
my  place  now ;  but  many  a  time  have  I  said  to  my 
self  that  if  I  had  anybody  I  could  trust  to  do  the  work 
right,  I  'd  buy  them  two  fields  of  Squire  Ramsey's  an' 
go  into  the  onion  business.  An'  now  you  sailor  men 
has  come  like  three  sea  angels,  an'  if  it  suits  you  we'll 
go  into  the  onion  business  on  sheers." 

"  That  suits  us  tiptop,  ma'am,"  said  the  coxswain; 
"  an'  we  '11  plant  inyans  for  ye  on  the  shears,  on  the 
stocks,  or  in  the  dry-dock.  It  doirt  make  no  dif'rence 
to  us  where  you  have  'em  ;  just  pass  the  word." 

"  Well,  well,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  I  don't  know  how 
that 's  goin'  to  work,  but  we  won't  talk  about  it  now. 
An'  so  you  came  straight  on  to  this  place?" 

"That  did  we,  ma'am,"  said  the  coxswain.  "An' 
when  we  got  here  we  found  the  parson,  but  none  of 
you  folks.  That  took  us  aback  a  little  at  fust,  but  he 


96  THE   DUSANTES. 

said  he  did  n't  live  here,  an?  you  was  comin'  pretty 
soon.  An'  so  we  took  lodgin's  at  the  tavern,  an'  for 
three  days  we  've  been  down  here  to  meet  every  train, 
expectin'  you  might  be  on  it." 

Our  baggage  had  been  put  on  the  platform,  the 
train  had  moved  on,  and  we  had  stood  engrossed  in 
the  coxswain's  narrative,  but  now  I  thought  it  neces 
sary  to  make  a  move.  There  was  but  one  small  vehicle 
to  hire  at  the  station.  This  would  hold  but  two  per 
sons,  and  in  it  I  placed  Mrs.  Dusante  and  Ruth,  the  first 
being  not  accustomed  to  walking,  and  the  latter  very 
anxious  to  meet  her  father.  I  ordered  the  man  to 
drive  them  to  the  inn,  which  was  about  a  mile  from 
the  station,  where  we  would  stay  until  Mrs.  Leeks  and 
Mrs.  Aleshine  should  get  their  houses  properly  aired 
and  ready  for  our  reception. 

"Mrs.  Craig  will  be  glad  to  get  to  the  tavern  and 
see  her  father,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshiue.  "I  expect  he  for 
got  all  about  its  bein'  time  for  the  train  to  come." 

" Bless  you,  ma'am!"  exclaimed  the  coxswain,  "is 
she  gone  to  the  tavern?  The  parson  's  not  there ! " 

"  Where  is  he,  then  ? "  asked  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"He 's  at  your  house,  ma'am,"  replied  the  coxswain. 

"An'  what  in  the  name  of  common  sense  is  he 
doin'  at  my  house!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine,  her  eyes 
sparkling  with  amazement  and  indignation. 

"Well,  ma'am,  for  one  thing,"  said  the  coxswain, 
"he  's  had  the  front  door  painted." 

"What!"  cried  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  in 
one  breath. 

"Yes,"  continued  the  coxswain ;  "the  parson  said  he 
hated  to  see  men  hangin'  around  doin'  nothin'.  An? 


THE   DUSANTES.  97 

then  he  looked  about,  an'  said  the  paint  was  all  wore 
off  the  front  door,  an'  we  might  as  well  go  to  work  an' 
paint  that,  an'  he  sent  Jim  to  a  shop  to  git  the  paint 
an'  brushes " 

"An'  have  'em  charged  to  me  ?  "  cried  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  continued  the  coxswain.  "An'  Jim 
an'  Bill  holystoned  all  the  old  paint  off  the  door  an'  I 
painted  it,  bavin'  done  lots  of  that  sort  of  thing  on 
shipboard ;  an'  I  think  it 's  a  pretty  good  job,  ma'am 
—  red  at  top  and  bottom  an'  white  in  the  middle,  like 
a  steamer's  smoke-stack." 

Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  looked  at  each  other. 
"An'  he  told  you  to  do  that  ? "  said  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"  Yes,  ma'am,"  answered  the  coxswain.  ''  The  par 
son  said  he  never  liked  to  be  nowhere  without  doin' 
what  good  he  could.  An'  there  was  some  other  paintin' 
he  talked  of  bavin'  done,  but  we  ain't  got  at  it  yet.  I 
s'posed  he  was  actin'  under  your  orders,  an'  I  hope  I 
have  n't  done  no  wrong,  ma'am." 

"You  're  not  a  bit  to  blame,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine; 
"  but  I  '11  look  into  this  thing.  No  fear  about  that ! 
An'  how  did  he  come  to  go  to  my  house  ?  An'  how 
did  he  get  in,  I  'd  like  to  know  !  " 

"All  I  know  about  that,"  said  the  coxswain,  "  is  what 
the  gal  that 's  livin'  there  told  me,  which  she  did  along 
of  askin'  us  if  we  was  comin'  to  live  there  too,  an' 
if  she  should  rig  up  beds  for  us  somewhere  in  the 
top-loft,  but  we  told  her  no,  not  havin'  no  orders,  an' 
payin'  our  own  way  at  the  tavern.  She  said,  said  she, 
that  the  parson  come  there  an'  'lowed  he  was  a  friend 
of  Mrs.  Aleshine's  an'  travelin'  with  her,  an'  that  if 
she  was  at  home  she  would  n't  let  him  stay  at  no  tav- 


98  THE   DUSANTES. 

em ;  an'  that  knowin'  her  wishes  he  'd  come  right 
there,  an'  'spected  to  be  took  care  of  till  she  come. 
She  said  she  felt  oncertain  about  it,  but  she  tuck  him 
in  till  she  could  think  it  over,  an'  then  we  come  an' 
certified  that  he  was  the  parson  who  'd  been  along  with 
Mrs.  Aleshine  an'  the  rest  of  us.  Arter  that  she 
thought  it  was  all  right,  an',  beggin'  your  pardon  if 
we  was  wrong,  so  did  Jim  an'  Bill  an'  me,  ma'am." 

"  Now,1'  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshiue,  "  if  that  is  n't 
exactly  like  Elizabeth  Grooteuheimer !  To  think  of 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer  thinkin' !  The  Grooten- 
heimers  always  was  the  dumbest  family  in  the  town 
ship,  an'  Elizabeth  Grootenheimer  is  the  dumbest  of 
'em  all !  I  did  say  to  myself  when  I  went  away  :  '  Xo\v 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer  is  so  stone  dumb  that  she  '11 
jus'  stay  here  an'  do  the  little  I  tell  her  to  do,  an'  has  n't 
sense  enough  to  get  into  no  mischief.'  An'  now,  look 
at  her ! " 

She  waved  her  hand  in  the  direction  of  the  invisible 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer. 

Mrs.  Leeks  had  said  very  little  during  this  startling 
communication,  but  her  face  had  assumed  a  stern  and 
determined  expression.  Now  she  spoke. 

"  I  guess  we  've  heard  about  enough,  an'  we  'd  better 
be  steppin'  along  an'  see  what  else  Mr.  Euderton  an' 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer  is  doiiv." 

The  homes  of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshiue  were 
not  far  from  each  other,  and  were  situated  about  mid 
way  between  the  station  and  the  village  inn,  and  in 
the  direction  of  these  our  party  now  started.  Mrs. 
Aleshine,  contrary  to  her  custom,  took  the  lead,  and 
walked  away  with  strides  of  unusual  length.  Mrs. 


THE   DUSANTES.  99 

Leeks  was  close  behind  her,  followed  by  the  two  Du- 
santes  and  myself,  while  the  three  mariners,  who  in 
sisted  upon  carrying  all  the  hand-baggage,  brought 
up  the  rear.  We  stepped  quickly,  for  we  were  all 
much  interested  in  what  might  happen  next;  and 
very  soon  we  reached  Mrs.  Aleshine's  house.  It  was 
a  good-sized  and  pleasant-looking  dwelling,  painted 
white,  with  green  shutters  and  with  a  long  covered 
piazza  at  the  front.  Between  the  road  and  the  house 
was  a  neat  yard  with  grass  and  flower-beds,  and  from 
the  gate  of  the  picket-fence  in  front  of  the  yard  a 
brick-paved  path  led  up  to  the  house. 

Our  approach  had  been  perceived,  for  on  the  piazza, 
in  front  of  the  gayly  painted  door,  stood  Mr.  Ender- 
ton,  erect  and  with  a  bland  and  benignant  smile  upon 
his  face.  One  hand  was  stretched  out  as  if  in  wel 
come,  and  with  the  other  he  gracefully  held  the  ginger- 
jar,  now  divested  of  its  wrappings. 

At  this  sight  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine  made 
a  simultaneous  dash  at  the  gate,  but  it  was  locked. 
The  two  women  stamped  their  feet  in  fury. 

"  Put  down  that  jar !  "  shouted  Mrs.  Leeks. 

"Elizabeth  Grootenheimer !  Elizabeth  Grooten- 
heimer  ! "  screamed  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  Come  here  and 
open  this  gate." 

"  Break  it  down ! "  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  turning  to  the 
sailors. 

"  Don't  you  do  it!"  exclaimed  Mrs.  Aleshine, throw 
ing  herself  in  front  of  it.  "  Don't  you  break  my  gate ! 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer !  " 

"  My  friends,"  said  Mr.  Enderton  in  clear,  distinct 
tones,  "  be  calm.  I  have  the  key  of  that  gate  in  my 


100  THE  DUSANTES. 

pocket.  I  locked  it  because  I  feared  that  on  your 
first  arrival  you  would  hurry  up  to  the  house  in  a 
promiscuous  way,  and  give  heed  to  irrelevant  matters. 
I  wished  to  address  you  in  a  body  and  in  a  position 
where  your  attention  would  not  be  diverted  from  me. 
I  hold  here,  my  friends,  the  receptacle  containing  the 
money  which,  under  a  misapprehension,  was  paid  for 
our  board  while  on  a  desert  island.  This  money  I 
have  taken  care  of,  and  have  carefully  guarded  for 
the  benefit  of  us  all.  Unfortunately  objections  have 
arisen  to  this  guardianship,  which  were  forwarded  to 
me  by  telegraph,  but  I  have  not  heeded  them.  If  you 
cannot  see  for  yourselves  the  propriety  of  my  assump 
tion  of  this  trust,  I  will  not  now  undertake  to  enlighten 
you.  But  I  hope  there  is  no  necessity  for  this,  for, 
having  had  time  to  give  the  matter  your  fullest  atten 
tion,  I  doubt  not  that  you  entirely  agree  with  me.  I 
will  merely  add,  for  I  see  you  are  impatient,  that  the 
sum  which  will  fall  to  the  share  of  each  of  us  is  com 
paratively  insignificant,  and  in  itself  not  worth  striv 
ing  for;  but  what  I  have  done  has  been  for  the  sake  of 
principle.  For  the  sake  of  principle  I  have  insisted 
that  this  money  should  be  received  by  its  rightful 
owners;  for  the  sake  of  principle  I  assumed  the  cus 
tody  of  it ;  and  for  the  sake  of  principle  I  shall  now 
empty  the  contents  of  this  jar  —  which  by  me  has 
not  been  examined  or  touched  —  upon  the  floor  of  this 
piazza,  and  I  shall  then  proceed  to  divide  said  contents 
into  five  suitable  portions  —  the  three  mariners,  as  I 
understand,  having  paid  no  board.  The  gate  can  then 
be  opened,  and  each  one  can  come  forward  and  take 
the  portion  which  belongs  to  him  or  to  her.  The  por- 


THE  DUSANTES.  101 

tion  of  my  daughter,  whom  I  saw  pass  here  in  a  car 
riage,  going,  doubtless,  to  the  inn,  will  be  taken  charge 
of  by  myself." 

"You  man  !  "  shrieked  Mrs.  Leeks,  shaking  her  fist 
over  the  fence,  "  if  you  as  much  as  lift  that  paper 
of  fish-hooks  from  out  the  top  of  that  ginger-jar, 
I  '11 " 

Here  she  was  interrupted  by  the  loud,  clear  voice  of 
Mr.  Dusante,  who  called  out:  "Sir,  I  require  you  to 
put  down  that  jar,  which  is  my  property." 

"I  '11  let  you  know,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "that  other 
people  have  principles!" 

But  what  more  she  said  was  drowned  by  the  voice 
of  Mrs.  Aleshine,  who  screamed  for  Elizabeth  Grooten- 
heimer,  and  who  was  now  so  much  excited  that  she 
was  actually  trying  to  break  open  her  own  gate. 

I  called  out  to  Mr.  Enderton  not  to  make  trouble 
by  disturbing  the  contents  of  the  jar;  and  even  Miss 
Lucille,  who  was  intensely  amused  at  the  scene,  could 
be  heard  joining  her  voice  to  the  general  clamor. 

But  the  threats  and  demands  of  our  united  party 
had  no  effect  upon  Mr.  Enderton.  He  stood  up,  serene 
and  bland,  fully  appreciating  the  advantage  of  having 
the  key  of  the  gate's  padlock  in  his  pocket  and  the 
ginger-jar  in  his  hand. 

"I  will  now  proceed,"  said  he.  But  at  that  moment 
his  attention  was  attracted  by  the  three  mariners,  who 
had  clambered  over  the  pointed  pales  of  the  fence  and 
who  now  appeared  on  the  piazza,  Bill  to  the  right 
hand  of  Mr.  Enderton,  Jim  to  the  left,  and  the  red- 
bearded  coxswain  at  his  back.  They  all  seemed  to 
speak  at  once,  though  what  they  said  we  could  not 


102  THE  DUSANTES. 

hear,  nothing  but  a  few  hoarse  mutterings  coming 
down  to  us. 

But  in  consequence  of  what  Bill  said,  Mr.  Enderton 
handed  him  the  key  of  the  gate ;  and  in  consequence 
of  what  Jim  said,  Mr.  Enderton  delivered  to  him  the 
ginger-jar ;  and  in  consequence  of  what  the  coxswain 
said,  he  and  Mr.  Enderton  walked  off  the  piazza ;  and 
the  two  proceeded  to  a  distant  corner  of  the  yard, 
where  they  stood  out  of  the  way,  as  it  were,  while  the 
gate  was  opened.  Bill  bungled  a  little,  but  the  pad 
lock  was  soon  removed,  and  we  all  hurried  through 
the  gate  and  up  to  the  piazza,  where  Jim  still  stood, 
the  ginger- jar  held  reverently  in  his  hands. 

The  coxswain  now  left  Mr.  Enderton,  and  that  gen 
tleman  proceeded  to  the  open  gate,  through  which  he 
passed  into  the  road,  and  then  turned,  and  in  a  loud 
and  severe  tone  addressed  Mrs.  Aleshine: 

"I  leave  your  inhospitable  house  and  go  to  join  my 
daughter  at  the  inn,  where  I  request  you  to  send  my 
valise  and  umbrella  as  soon  as  possible." 

Mrs.  Aleshine's  indignation  at  this  invasion  of  her 
home  and  this  trampling  on  her  right  to  open  her  own 
gate  had  entirely  driven  away  her  accustomed  geni 
ality,  and  in  angry  tones  she  cried : 

''Jus'  you  stop  at  that  paint-shop  when  you  git  to 
the  village,  an'  pay  for  the  paint  you  had  charged  to 
me;  an'  when  you've  done  that  you  can  send  for  your 
things." 

"  Come,  now,  Barb'ry,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  "  don't  let 
your  feelin's  run  away  with  you.  You  ought  to  be 
thankful  that  he  's  let  you  off  so  easy,  an'  that  he  's 
gone." 


THE    DUSANTES.  103 

"I  'm  all  that,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine;  "an'  on  second 
thoughts,  every  whip-stitch  of  his  bag  and  baggage 
shall  be  trundled  after  him  as  soon  as  I  kin  git  it 
away." 

We  all  now  stood  upon  the  piazza,  and  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine,  in  calmer  tones,  but  with  her  face  still  flushed 
from  her  recent  excitement,  turned  to  us  and  said: 
"Now,  is  n't  this  a  pretty  comin'  home?  My  front 
gate  fastened  in  my  very  face;  my  front  door  painted 
red  and  white;  the  inside  of  the  house,  as  like  as  not, 
turned  upside  down  by  that  man  jus'  as  much  as  the 
outside;  an'  where  in  the  world,  I  'd  like  to  know,  is 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer  ?  " 

"Now  don't  you  be  too  hard  on  her,"  said  Mrs. 
Leeks,  "  after  havin'  been  away  from  her  so  long.  I 
have  n't  a  doubt  she 's  feedin'  the  pigs;  and  you  know 
very  well  she  never  would  leave  them  as  long  as  she 
felt  they  needed  her.  You  need  n't  mind  if  your  house 
is  upset,  for  none  of  us  is  comiii'  in,  havin'  only  in 
tended  to  see  you  to  your  door,  which  I  must  say  is  a 
pretty  blazin'  one." 

"And  now,  Mrs.  Leeks,1'  said  Mr.  Dusante,  taking, 
as  he  spoke,  the  ginger-jar  from  the  hand  of  Jim, 
"I  think  this  is  a  suitable  opportunity  for  me  to  ac 
complish  the  object  for  which  my  present  journey 
was  undertaken,  and  to  return  to  you  the  contents  of 
this  jar." 

"  Which,"  said  Mrs.  Leeks,  in  a  very  decided  tone, 
"  I  don't  take  now  no  more  'n  I  did  before." 

Mr.  Dusante  looked  surprised  and  troubled.  After 
all  the  dangers  and  adventures  through  which  that 
ginger-jar  had  gone,  I  believe  that  he  expected  Mrs. 


104  THE   DUSANTES. 

Leeks  would  at  last  relent  and  consent  to  accept  it 
from  him. 

"Now,  look  here,"  said  Mrs.  Aleshine,  " don't  let  us 
have  any  more  fuss  about  the  ginger-jar,  or  anythin' 
else.  Let 's  put  off  talkin'  about  that  till  we  're  all 
settled  and  fixed.  It  won't  do  for  you  to  take  the  jar 
to  the  tavern  with  you,  Mr.  Dusante,  for  like  as  not 
Mr.  Enderton  will  git  hold  of  it  ag'in,  an'  I  know  Mrs. 
Leeks  won't  let  it  come  into  her  house ;  so,  if  you  like, 
you  may  jus'  leave  it  here  for  the  present,  and  you 
may  make  up  your  minds  nobody  '11  touch  it  while 
I  'm  about.  An'  about  I  intend  to  be." 

This  arrangement  was  gladly  agreed  upon,  and  the 
jar  being  delivered  to  Mrs.  Aleshine,  we  took  our  leave 
of  her.  . 

Mrs.  Leeks  found  no  difficulty  in  entering  her  gate, 
where  she  was  duly  welcomed  by  a  man  and  his  wife 
she  had  left  in  charge,  while  the  Dusantes  and  my 
self  walked  on  to  the  inn,  or  "Hotel,"  as  its  sign  im 
ported,  about  which  the  greater  part  of  the  little  town 
clustered.  The  three  mariners  remained  behind  to 
await  further  orders  from  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

By  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day  the  abodes  of  those 
two  most  energetic  and  capable  housewives,  Mrs. 
Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine,  were  fully  prepared  for  the 
reception  of  their  visitors,  and  the  Dusante  family 
were  ensconced  beneath  the  roof  of  the  one,  while  my 
wife  and  I  wrere  most  warmly  welcomed  at  the  gaily 
adorned  door  of  the  other. 

Mr.  Enderton  remained  at  the  inn,  where  he  found 
very  comfortable  quarters,  an  arrangement  satisfac 
tory  to  all  parties. 


THE   DUSANTES.  105 

In  Mrs.  Aleshine's  dwelling,  where,  from  the  very 
first,  Lucille  took  her  position  as  a  most  constant  visi 
tor,  being  equally  welcomed  by  Ruth  and  the  mistress 
of  the  house,  all  was  satisfaction  and  high  good  humor. 
The  ceaseless  activity  and  cheerful  spirits  of  our  hos 
tess  seemed  to  animate  us  all.  At  Mrs.  Lecks's  home 
the  case  was  different.  There,  I  could  plainly  see, 
there  was  a  certain  uneasiness  amounting  almost  to 
stiffness  between  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mr.  Dnsante.  The 
latter  had  not  accomplished  the  purpose  for  which  he 
had  made  this  long  journey;  and  though,  if  things  had 
turned  out  as  he  wished,  he  would  have  been  very 
glad  to  be  the  guest  of  Mrs.  Leeks,  still,  under  the 
present  circumstances,  the  situation  did  not  suit  him. 
Mrs.  Leeks,  too,  possessed  an  unsettled  mind.  She 
did  not  know  when  Mr.  Dusante  would  again  endeavor 
to  force  back  upon  her  the  board-money  in  the  ginger- 
jar,  and  in  this  state  of  uneasy  expectancy  she  was 
not  at  her  best. 

"  He  's  not  satisfied,"  said  she  to  me,  on  the  morn 
ing  after  the  Dusantes  had  come  to  her ;  "  he  wants 
to  do  something  or  else  to  go  away.  I  wish  that  gin 
ger-jar  had  dropped  into  the  bottom  of  the  sea  while 
he  was  bringin'  it,  or  else  had  smashed  itself  into  a 
thousand  bits  while  he  was  slidin'  down  the  moun 
tain,  and  the  money  had  melted  itself  into  the  snow. 
S'posin'  at  the  end  of  the  week  he  was  to  come  to  me 
and  offer  to  pay  me  board  for  himself  and  his  family, 
sayin'  that  was  no  more  than  I  'd  done  to  him !  Of 
course  the  two  cases  are  not  a  bit  alike;  for  we  went 
to  his  house  strangers,  without  leave  or  license,  while 
he  comes  to  mine  as  a  fi*iend,  bein'  fully  invited  and 
14 


106  THE  DUSANTES. 

pressed.  But  I  don't  suppose  I  could  make  him  see 
it  in  that  light,  and  it  worries  me." 

I  was  convinced  that  something  ought  to  be  done 
to  end  this  unpleasant  state  of  affairs,  and  I  took  my 
wife  and  Miss  Lucille  into  council  on  the  subject. 
After  we  had  deliberated  a  little  while  an  idea  came 
to  Ruth. 

"  In  my  opinion,"  said  she,  "  the  best  thing  we  can 
do  with  that  board-money  is  to  give  it  to  those  three 
sailors.  They  are  poor  and  will  be  glad  to  get  it ; 
Mr.  Dusante  and  Mrs.  Leeks  ought  to  be  fully  satis 
fied,  for  the  one  does  n't  keep  it  and  the  other  does  n't 
take  it  back,  and  I  'm  sure  that  this  plan  will  please  all 
the  rest  of  us." 

This  proposition  was  agreed  to  by  the  council,  and 
I  was  appointed  to  go  immediately  and  lay  it  before 
the  parties  interested. 

Mr.  Dusante  gave  his  ready  consent  to  this  propo 
sal.  "  It  is  not  what  I  intended  to  do,"  said  he,  "  but 
it  amounts  to  almost  the  same  thing.  The  money 
is  in  fact  restored  to  its  owners,  and  they  agree  to 
make  a  certain  disposition  of  it.  I  am  satisfied." 

Mrs.  Leeks  hesitated  a  little.  "  All  right,"  said  she. 
"  He  takes  the  money  and  gives  it  to  who  he  chooses. 
I  've  nothin'  to  say  against  it." 

Of  course  no  opposition  to  the  plan  was  to  be  ex 
pected  from  anybody  else,  except  Mr.  Enderton.  But 
when  I  mentioned  it  to  him  I  found,  to  my  surprise, 
that  he  was  not  unwilling  to  agree  to  it.  Half  clos 
ing  the  book  he  had  been  reading,  he  said :  "  What 
I  have  done  was  on  behalf  of  principle.  I  did  not  be 
lieve,  and  do  not  believe,  that  upon  an  entirely  de- 


THE  DUSANTES.  107 

sorted  island  money  should  be  paid  for  board.  I  paid 
it  under  protest,  and  I  do  not  withdraw  that  protest. 
According  to  all  the  laws  of  justice  and  hospitality 
the  man  who  owned  that  island  should  not  retain  that 
money,  and  Mrs.  Leeks  had  no  right  to  insist  upon 
such  retention.  But  if  it  is  proposed  to  give  the  sum 
total  to  three  mariners,  who  paid  no  board  and  to 
whom  the  gift  is  an  absolute  charity,  I  am  content. 
To  be  sure,  they  interfered  with  me  at  a  moment 
when  I  was  about  to  make  a  suitable  settlement  of 
the  matter,  but  I  have  no  doubt  they  were  told  to  do 
so;  and  I  must  admit  that  while  they  carried  out 
their  orders  with  a  certain  firmness  characteristic  of 
persons  accustomed  to  unreasoning  obedience,  they 
treated  me  with  entire  respect.  If  equal  respect  had 
been  shown  to  me  at  the  beginning  of  these  disputes, 
it  would  have  been  much  better  for  all  concerned." 

And  opening  his  book  he  recommenced  his  reading. 

That  afternoon  all  of  us,  except  Mr.  Enderton,  as 
sembled  on  Mrs.  Aleshine's  piazza  to  witness  the  pres 
entation  of  the  board-money.  The  three  sailors,  who 
had  been  informed  of  the  nature  of  the  proceedings, 
stood  in  line  on  the  second  step  of  the  piazza,  clad  in 
their  best  toggery,  and  with  their  new  tarpaulin  hats 
in  their  hands.  Mrs.  Aleshine  went  into  the  house 
and  soon  reappeared,  carrying  the  ginger-jar,  which 
she  presented  to  Mr.  Dusante.  That  gentleman  took 
it,  and  stood  holding  it  for  a  moment  as  if  he  were 
about  to  speak ;  but  even  if  he  had  intended  to  say 
anything  he  had  no  further  opportunity,  for  Mrs. 
Leeks  now  stepped  forward  and  addressed  him. 

"  Mr.  Dusante,"  said  she,  "  from  what  I  have  seen 


108  THE   DUSANTES. 

of  you  myself  and  heard  tell  of  you  from  others,  I 
believe  you  are  a  man  who  tries  to  do  his  duty,  as  he 
sees  it,  with  a  single  heart  and  no  turnin'  from  one 
side  to  the  other.  You  made  up  your  mind  that 
you  'd  travel  over  the  whole  world,  if  it  had  to  be 
done,  with  that  ginger-jar  and  the  board-money  inside 
of  it,  till  you  'd  found  the  people  who  'd  been  livin'  in 
your  house ;  and  then  that  you  'd  give  back  that  jar, 
jus'  as  you  'd  found  it,  to  the  person  who  took  upon 
herself  the  overseein'  of  the  regular  payiu'  of  the 
money,  and  the  puttin'  of  it  therein.  With  that  pur 
pose  in  your  mind  you  carried  that  jar  over  the  ocean  ; 
you  wandered  with  it  up  and  down  California;  and 
holdin'  it  tight  fast  in  your  arms,  you  slid  down  the 
slipperiest  mountain  that  was  ever  made  yet,  I  be 
lieve,  and  if  it  had  been  your  only  infant  child,  you 
could  n't  have  held  it  firmer,  nor  regarded  it  more  care 
ful.  Through  ups  and  downs,  and  thicks  and  smooths, 
you  carried  that  jar  or  followed  it,  and  for  the  sake 
of  doin'  what  you  'd  set  your  mind  on  you  came  all 
the  way  to  this  place  ;  to  which,  if  it  had  n't  been  for 
that  one  idea,  it  is  n't  likely  you  'd  ever  dreamed  of 
comin'.  Now,  Mr.  Dusante,  we  've  all  agreed  on  what 
we  think  is  the  right  thing  to  do,  and  you  agreed  with 
us,  but  I  can  see  by  your  face  that  you  're  disapp'inted. 
The  thing  you  set  out  to  do  you  have  n't  done;  and 
I  'm  not  goin'  to  have  it  to  say  to  myself  that  you  was 
the  only  one  of  all  of  us  that  was  n't  satisfied,  and  that 
I  was  the  stumblin'-block  that  stood  in  your  way.  So 
I  '11  back  down  from  savin'  that  I  'd  never  touch  that 
jar  again,  and  you  can  put  it  into  my  hands,  as  you 
set  out  to  do." 


THE   DUSANTES.  109 

Mr.  Dusante  made  no  answer,  but  stepped  for 
ward,  and  taking  Mrs.  Lecks's  large  brown  and 
work-worn  hand,  he  respectfully  touched  it  with  his 
lips.  It  is  not  probable  that  Mrs.  Lecks's  hand  had 
ever  before  been  kissed.  It  is  not  probable  that 
she  had  ever  seen  any  one  kiss  the  hand  of  another. 
But  the  hard  sense  and  keen  insight  of  that  inde 
pendent  countrywoman  made  her  instantly  aware 
of  what  was  meant  by  that  old-fashioned  act  of 
courteous  homage.  Her  tall  form  grew  more  erect; 
she  slightly  bowed  her  head ;  and  received  the  salute 
with  a  quiet  dignity  which  would  have  become  a 
duchess. 

This  little  scene  touched  us  all,  and  Mrs.  Aleshine 
afterward  informed  me  that  for  a  moment  she  had  n't 
a  dry  eye  in  her  head. 

Mr.  Dusante  now  handed  the  ginger-jar  to  Mrs. 
Leeks,  who  immediately  stepped  toward  Ruth  and 
Lucille. 

"You  two  young  ones,"  she  said,  "can  jus'  take  this 
jar,  an'  your  hands  can  be  the  first  to  lift  off  that 
paper  of  fish-hooks  and  take  out  the  money,  which 
you  will  then  divide  among  our  good  friends,  these 
sailormen." 

Ruth  and  Lucille  immediately  sat  down  on  the 
floor  of  the  piazza,  and  the  one  emptied  the  board- 
money  into  the  lap  of  the  other,  where  it  was  speedily 
divided  into  three  equal  portions,  one  of  which  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  each  mariner. 

The  men  stood  motionless,  each  holding  his  money 
in  his  open  right  hand,  and  then  the  red-bearded  cox 
swain  spoke. 


110  THE   DUSANTES. 

"  It  ain't  for  me,  nor  for  Bill,  nor  for  Jim  nuther, 
to  say  a  word  agin  what  you  all  think  is  right  and 
square.  We  've  stood  by  ye  an'  obeyed  orders  since 
we  first  shipped  on  that  island,  an'  we  intend  to  do  so 
straight  along,  don't  we,  Jim  an'  Bill?" 

"Aye,  aye,  sir !  "  said  Jim  and  Bill,  in  hearty  hoarse 
response. 

"  There 's  some  of  ye,  'specially  Mrs.  Aleshine,  though 
meanin'  no  disrespec'  to  anybody  else,  that  we  'd  fol 
low  to  the  crosstrees  of  the  topgallantmast  of  the 
tallest  ship  that  ever  floated  in  the  middle  of  the 
ragin'est  typhoon  that  ever  blowed.  "Would  n't  we, 
Jim  an'  Bill  ?  " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir ! "  sang  out  Jim  and  Bill. 

"  But  though  we  stand  ready  to  obey  orders,"  said 
the  coxswain,  "  we  made  up  our  minds,  when  we  heard 
what  was  goin'  to  be  done,  that  we  'd  listen  keerful 
fer  one  thing,  an'  we  have  listened  keerful  an'  we 
have  n't  heard  that  one  thing,  an'  that  thing  was  what 
we  should  do  with  this  money.  An'  not  havin'  heard 
it,  an'  so  bein'  under  no  orders  as  to  the  spendin'  of 
it,  we  take  the  money,  an'  thank  you  kindly,  one  an' 
all.  Don't  we,  Jim  an'  Bill  ? " 

"  Aye,  aye,  sir ! "  said  Jim  and  Bill. 

And  into  the  pocket  of  each  mariner  clinked  the 
money. 

Mr.  Dusante  now  took  up  the  ginger- jar  and  ap 
proached  Mrs.  Leeks.  "I  hope,  madam,"  he  said, 
"  that  as  the  subject  of  our  little  differences  has  now 
been  removed  from  this  jar,  you  will  consent  to  accept 
it  from  me  as  a  memento  of  the  somewhat  remarkable 
experiences  through  which  it  has  accompanied  us." 


THE   DUSANTES.  Ill 

"  Take  it,  sir  ?"  said  she.  "  To  be  sure  I  will.  An' 
very  glad  am  I  to  get  it.  As  long  as  I  live  it  shall 
stand  on  the  mantelpiece  in  my  parlor;  an'  when  I 
die  it  shall  be  left  to  my  heirs,  to  be  taken  care  of  as 
long  as  it  holds  together." 

Every  reason  for  dissatisfaction  having  now  been 
banished  from  our  little  company,  we  all  settled  down 
for  a  season  of  enjoyment.  Even  Mr.  Enderton,  who 
had  found  on  the  top  shelf  of  a  closet  in  his  room 
a  lot  of  old  leather-bound  books,  appeared  to  be  in  a 
state  of  perfect  content.  To  the  Dusantes  a  residence 
in  this  absolutely  rural  portion  of  our  Middle  States 
in  the  autumnal  season  was  an  entirely  novel  experi 
ence.  The  crisp  and  invigorating  air,  the  mists  and 
the  glowing  hues  of  the  Indian-summer  time,  the  soft 
ness  of  the  sunshine,  and  even  those  masses  of  limbs 
and  twigs  which  had  already  dropped  their  leaves  and 
spread  themselves  in  a  delicate  network  against  the 
clear  blue  sky,  were  all  full  of  a  novel  beauty  for  these 
people  who  had  lived  so  long  in  tropical  lands  and 
among  perennial  foliage,  and  had  never  known  the 
delights  of  an  American  country  life  out  of  season. 
Having  enjoyed  Mrs.  Lecks's  hospitality  for  a  suitable 
period,  they  proposed  to  that  sensible  woman  that  she 
should  receive  them  as  boarders  until  the  winter 
should  set  in ;  and  to  this  practical  proposition  she 
gave  a  ready  assent,  hoping  that  the  really  cold  wea 
ther  would  long  defer  its  coming. 

Ruth  and  I  established  ourselves  on  the  same  terms 
with  Mrs.  Aleshine.  A  prolonged  holiday  from  the 
labors  of  my  business  had  been  the  object  of  my  at 
tempted  journey  to  Japan,  and  I  could  think  of  no 


112  THE   DUSANTES. 

place  where  it  would  better  please  my  young  wife  and 
myself  to  rest  for  a  time  than  here  among  these  good 
friends. 

A  continual  source  of  amusement  to  us  were  the 
acts  and  doings  of  Mrs.  Aleshine  and  her  three  sailor- 
men.  These  bold  mariners  had  enlisted,  soul  and 
body,  into  the  service  of  the  thrifty  housewife;  and 
as  it  was  impossible  to  do  anything  in  connection  with 
the  growing  of  the  onions  until  the  desired  fields 
should  be  acquired  and  the  spring  should  open,  many 
and  diverse  were  the  labors  at  which  the  coxswain 
and  those  two  able-bodied  seamen,  Bill  and  Jim,  set 
themselves,  or  were  set  by  Mrs.  Aleshine. 

The  brilliantly  painted  front  door,  which  at  first 
had  excited  the  good  woman's  ire,  gradually  came  to 
command  her  admiration;  and  when  her  sailormen 
had  done  everything  else  that  they  could  in  the  barns, 
the  fields,  or  at  the  wood-pile,  she  gave  them  privilege 
to  paint  various  portions  of  her  property,  leaving 
designs  and  colors  to  their  own  taste  and  fancy. 
Whether  they  milked  the  cows,  cut  the  wood,  or 
painted  the  sides  of  the  house,  they  always  worked 
like  good  fellows,  and  in  nautical  costume.  They  holy 
stoned  the  front  deck,  as  they  called  the  floor  of  the 
piazza,  until  it  seemed  sacrilegious  to  set  foot  upon  it; 
and  when  the  house  and  the  pale-fence  had  been  suit 
ably  painted,  they  allowed  their  fancies  lofty  flights 
in  the  decoration  of  the  smaller  out-buildings  and 
various  objects  in  the  grounds.  One  of  the  men  had 
a  pocket-chart  of  the  colors  adopted  by  the  different 
steamship  companies  all  over  the  world,  and  now 
smoke-houses,  corn-cribs,  chicken  houses,  and  so  on, 


THE  DUSANTES.  113 

down  to  pumps  and  hitching-posts,  were  painted  in 
great  bands  of  blue  and  red  and  white  and  black,  ar 
ranged  in  alternating  orders,  until  an  observer  might 
have  supposed  that  a  commercial  navy  had  been  sunk 
beneath  Mrs.  Aleshine's  house-grounds,  leaving  no 
thing  but  its  smoke-stacks  visible. 

The  greatest  work  of  decoration,  however,  was  re 
served  by  the  red-bearded  coxswain  for  himself,  de 
signed  by  his  own  brain,  and  executed  by  his  own 
hands.  This  was  the  tatooing  of  the  barn.  Around 
this  building,  the  sides  of  which  were  already  of  a 
color  sufficiently  resembling  a  well-tanned  human 
skin,  the  coxswain  painted,  in  blue  spots  resembling 
tatooing,  an  immense  cable  passing  several  times 
about  the  structure,  a  sea-serpent  almost  as  long  as 
the  cable,  eight  anchors,  two  ships  under  full  sail,  with 
a  variety  of  cannons  and  flags  which  filled  up  all  the 
remaining  spaces.  This  great  work  was  a  long  time 
in  execution,  and  before  it  was  half  finished  its  fame 
had  spread  over  the  surrounding  country. 

The  decoration  of  her  premises  was  greatly  en 
joyed  by  Mrs.  Aleshine.  "  It  gives  'em  somethin'  to 
do,''  said  she,  ''till  the  onion-season  comes  on;  it 
makes  'em  happy ;  an'  the  leaves  an'  flowers  bein' 
pretty  nigh  gone,  I  like  to  see  the  place  blossomin' 
out  as  if  it  was  a  cold- weather  garden." 

In  the  evenings,  in  the  large  kitchen,  the  sailormen 
danced  their  hornpipes,  and  around  the  great  fireplace 
they  spun  long  yarns  of  haps  and  mishaps  on  distant 
seas.  Mrs.  Aleshine  always,  and  the  rest  of  us  often, 
sat  by  the  fire  and  enjoyed  these  nautical  recreations. 

"  Havin'  myself   done  housekeepin'  in  the  torrid 


114  THE  DUSANTES. 

zone,"  she  once  said,  "  a  lot  of  the  things  they  tell 
come  home  to  me  quite  nat'ral.  An'  I  'd  do  any  thin' 
in  the  world  to  make  'em  content  to  live  on  dry  land 
like  common  Christians,  instead  of  cavoortiu'  about 
on  the  pitchin'  ocean,  runnin'  into  each  other,  an' 
springin'  leaks  with  no  likelihood  of  findin'  a  fur 
nished  island  at  every  p'int  where  their  ship  happened 
to  go  down." 

On  one  subject  only  did  any  trouble  now  come  into 
the  mind  of  Mrs.  Aleshine,  and  she  once  had  a  little 
talk  with  me  in  regard  to  it. 

"  I  Ve  been  afeard  from  the  very  beginnin',"  she 
said,  "  an'  after  a  while  I  more  'n  half  believed  it,  that 
Elizabeth  Grootenheimer  was  settin'  her  cap  at  the 
coxswain,  so  I  just  went  to  him  an'  I  spoke  to  him 
plain.  '  This  sort  o'  thing  won't  do  at  all,'  says  I ;  l  an' 
although  I  have  n't  a  doubt  you  see  it  for  yourself, 
I  thought  it  my  dooty  to  speak  my  mind  about  it. 
There  's  plenty  of  young  women  in  this  township 
that  would  make  you  sailormen  fust-rate  wives,  an' 
glad  enough  I  'd  be  to  see  you  all  married  an'  settled 
an'  gone  to  farmin'  right  here  amongst  us,  but  Eliza 
beth  Grootenheimer  won't  do.  Settin'  aside  every- 
thin'  else,  if  there  was  to  be  any  children,  they  might 
be  little  coxswains,  but  they  'd  be  Grootenheimers  too, 
stone-dumb  Grootenheimers ;  an'  I  tell  you  plain  that 
this  county  can't  stand  no  more  Grootenheimers ! ' 
To  which  he  says,  says  he,  '  I  want  you  to  understan', 
ma'am,  that  if  ever  me  or  Jim  or  Bill  makes  up  our 
mind  to  set  sail  for  any  sort  of  a  weddin'  port,  we 
won't  weigh  anchor  till  we  Ve  got  our  clearance 
papers  from  you.'  By  which  he  meant  that  he  'd 


THE  DUSANTES.  115 

ask  my  advice  about  courtin'.  An'  now  my  mind  is 
easy,  an'  I  can  look  ahead  with  comfort  to  onion-time." 

I  found  it  necessary  to  go  to  Philadelphia  for  a  day 
or  two  to  attend  to  some  business  matters ;  and,  the 
evening  before  I  started,  the  coxswain  came  to  me 
and  asked  a  favor  for  himself  and  his  mates. 

"  It  may  n't  have  passed  out  of  your  mind,  sir,"  said 
he,  "  that  when  me  an'  Jim  an'  Bill  took  that  money 
that  you  all  give  us,  which  was  n't  zackly  like  prize- 
money,  because  the  rest  of  the  crew,  to  put  it  that 
way,  did  n't  get  any,  we  listened  keerful  to  see  if  any- 
thin'  was  said  as  to  what  we  was  to  do  with  the 
money ;  an'  nothin'  bein'  said,  we  took  it,  and  we 
was  n't  long  makin'  up  our  minds  as  to  what  we  was 
goin'  to  do  with  it.  What  we  wanted  to  do  was  to 
put  up  some  sort  of  signal  what  could  n't  get  blowed 
away,  or,  more  like,  a  kind  of  reg'lar  moniment  as 
would  make  them  that  looked  at  it  remember  the 
rough  squalls  and  the  jolly  larks  we  've  gone  through 
with  together,  an'  it  was  when  we  was  talkin'  about 
Mrs.  Leeks  bein'  give'  the  ginger-jar  to  put  on  her 
mantelpiece  an'  keep  forever,  that  me  an'  Jim  an'  Bill 
we  said,  says  we,  that  Mrs.  Aleshine  should  have  a 
ginger- jar  too,  havin'  as  much  right  to  one  as  her 
mate,  an'  that  that  would  be  the  signal-flag  or  the 
moniment  that  we  'd  put  up.  Now,  sir,  as  you  're 
goin'  to  town,  we  ask  you  to  take  this  money,  which 
is  the  whole  lot  that  was  give'  us,  an'  have  a  ginger- 
jar  built,  jus'  the  size  an'  shape  an'  gen'ral  trim  of  that 
other  one,  but  of  no  pottery-stuff,  for  you  kin  buy  'em 
jus'  like  that,  an'  that  ain't  what  we  want.  We  want 
her  built  of  good  oak,  stout  an'  strong,  with  live-oak 


116  THE   DUSANTES. 

knees  inside  to  keep  her  stiff  an'  save  her  from  bein' 
stove  in,  in  case  of  a  collision.  We  want  her  bottom 
coppered  up  above  the  water-line  with  real  silver,  an' 
we  want  a  turtle-back  deck  with  a  round  hatchway, 
with  a  tight-fittin'  hatch,  jus'  like  common  jars.  We 
want  her  sides  calked  with  oakum,  an'  well  scraped  an' 
painted,  so  that  with  water  inside  of  her  or  outside  of 
her  she  won't  leak.  An'  on  the  bottom  of  her,  so  they 
kin  be  seen  if  she  keels  over,  we  wants  the  names  of  me, 
an'  Jim,  an'  Bill,  which  we  've  wrote  on  this  piece  of  pa 
per.  An'  on  her  sides,  below  the  water-line,  on  the  silver 
copperin',  we  want  the  names  of  all  the  rest  of  you, 
an'  the  latitood  an'  longitood  of  that  island,  an'  any- 
thin'  out  of  the  logs  that  might  'a'  been  kep'  by  any 
of  you,  as  might  help  to  be  remembered  the  things 
what  happened.  An'  then,  if  there 's  any  room  left  on 
the  copperin'  an'  any  money  lef  to  pay  for  'em,  you 
might  have  cut  on  as  many  anchors,  an'  hearts,  an' 
bits  of  cable,  an'  such  like  suitable  things  as  would 
fill  up.  An'  that  jar  we  're  goin'  to  give  to  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine  to  put  on  her  mantelpiece,  to  stay  there  as  long 
as  she  lives,  or  anybody  that  belongs  to  her.  An',  by 
George, sir!"  he  added  behind  his  hand, although  there 
was  nobody  to  hear,  "if  ever  them  two  jars  run  into 
each  other,  it  won't  be  Mrs.  Aleshine's  that  '11  go 
down ! " 

I  undertook  this  commission,  and  in  due  course  of 
time  there  came  to  the  village  the  most  astonishing 
ginger-jar  that  was  ever  built,  and  which  satisfied  the 
three  mariners  in  every  particular.  When  it  was  pre 
sented  to  Mrs.  Aleshine,  her  admiration  of  this  work 
of  art,  her  delight  in  its  ownership,  and  her  gratitude 
to  the  donors  were  alike  boundless. 


THE   DUSANTES.  117 

"  However  could  I  have  had  the  idee,"  said  she  pri- 
vatel}T  to  me,  "  that  any  one  of  them  noble  sailormen 
could  have  brought  himself  down  to  marry  Elizabeth 
Grootenheimer ! " 

It  was  not  long  after  this  happy  event  that  another 
great  joy  came  to  Mrs.  Aleshine.  Her  son  returned 
from  Japan.  He  had  heard  of  the  loss  of  the  steamer 
in  which  his  mother  and  Mrs.  Leeks  had  set  sail,  and 
was  in  great  trouble  of  mind  until  he  received  a  letter 
from  his  mother  which  brought  him  speedily  home. 
He  had  no  intention  of  settling  in  Meadowville,  but  it 
had  been  a  long  time  since  he  had  seen  his  mother. 

He  was  a  fine  young  man,  handsome  and  well  edu 
cated,  and  we  were  all  delighted  with  him;  and  in  a 
very  short  time  he  and  Lucille  Dusante,  being  the 
only  young  bachelor  and  maiden  of  the  company,  be 
came  so  intimate  and  super-friendly  that  it  was  easy 
to  see  that  to  Mrs.  Aleshine  might  come  the  unex 
pected  rapture  of  eventually  being  the  mother  of 
Lucille. 

We  stayed  much  later  at  Meadowville  than  we  had 
expected.  Even  after  the  little  hills  and  vales  had  been 
well  covered  with  snow,  sleighing  and  coasting  parties, 
led  by  the  lively  new-comer,  offered  attractions,  es 
pecially  to  Lucille,  which  bound  us  to  the  cheery  homes 
of  Mrs.  Leeks  and  Mrs.  Aleshine.  But,  after  a  time, 
the  Dusantes  considered  it  prudent  to  go  to  Florida 
for  the  rest  of  the  winter ;  Mr.  Enderton  had  long 
since  read  all  the  books  on  his  closet  shelf  and  de 
parted  for  New  York ;  and  Ruth  and  I  determined 
that  we,  too,  must  move  eastward. 

But,  before  our  little  company  separated,  Mrs.  Ale- 
shine's  son  and  Lucille  Dusante  had  settled  it  between 


118  THE   DUSANTES. 

them  that  when  the  springtime  came  they  would  set 
sail  for  a  wedding  port.  This  match  was  a  highly 
satisfactory  one  to  all  concerned,  for  Mr.  Dusante 
could  scarcely  have  found  a  young  brother-in-law  who 
would  make  his  sister  so  happy,  and  who  was,  at  the 
same  time,  so  well  fitted  by  disposition  and  previous 
occupation  to  assist  in  his  increasing  business  cares. 

In  the  spring  the  Dusante  family  came  North  again 
and  Lucille  and  her  lover  were  married ;  and  then  all 
of  us,  except  Mr.  Enderton,  who  had  obtained  a  most 
congenial  position  as  assistant  librarian  in  a  public 
institution  seldom  visited,  gathered  at  Meadowville 
to  spend  a  week  or  two  together  before  Ruth  and  I 
repaired  to  the  New  England  town  which  was  to  be 
our  home,  and  the  Dusante  family,  the  young  hus 
band  included,  set  out  on  a  tour,  partly  of  business 
and  partly  of  pleasure,  through  Canada  and  the  far 
Northwest. 

It  was  arranged  that,  whenever  it  should  be  pos 
sible,  Lucille  and  Mrs.  Dusante  should  spend  their 
summers  at  Meadowville;  and  as  this  would  also 
give  her  much  of  the  society  of  her  son,  the  heart  of 
Mrs.  Aleshine  could  ask  no  more. 

This  visit  to  Meadowville  was  in  the  onion-season ; 
and  one  morning  Ruth  and  I  sat  upon  a  fence  and 
watched  the  three  sailormen  busily  at  work.  The 
soil  looked  so  fine  and  smooth  that  one  might  almost 
have  supposed  that  it  had  been  holystoned  ;  and  the 
three  nautical  farmers,  in  their  tight-waisted,  loose- 
bottomed  trousers,  their  tarpaulin  hats,  and  their 
wide-collared  shirts,  were  seated  on  the  ground  at 
different  points,  engrossed  in  the  absorbing  task  of 


THE   DUSANTES.  119 

setting  out  young  onions  as  onions  had  never  been 
set  out  before.  All  the  careful  attention  to  patient 
minutias  which  nautical  handiwork  had  taught  them 
was  now  displayed  in  their  new  vocation.  In  a  por 
tion  of  the  field  which  had  been  first  planted  the 
onions  had  sprouted,  and  we  could  see  evidences  of 
astonishing  designs.  Here  were  anchors  in  onions; 
hearts  in  onions ;  brigs,  barks,  and  schooners  in 
onions ;  and  more  things  pertaining  to  ships,  the 
heart's  affections,  and  the  raging  main  outlined  in 
onions  than  Ruth  and  I  could  give  names  to. 

"  It  seems  to  me,"  said  I,  "  that  there  must  have 
been  some  sort  of  enchantment  in  that  little  island 
in  the  Pacific,  for  in  one  way  or  another  it  has  made 
us  all  very  happy." 

"That  is  true,"  answered  Ruth ;  "and,  do  you  know, 
I  believe  the  cause  of  a  great  part  of  that  happiness 
was  the  board-money  in  the  ginger-jar  ! " 


THE   END. 


A     000138334 


